MONTREAL — Bobby Ryan will be away from the Ottawa Senators indefinitely while seeking help.
The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association announced Wednesday morning the veteran forward will be away from the team “while taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.”
“There will be no further comment at this time,” the league and the union said in a joint release sent out as the Senators prepared to take on the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night at the Bell Centre.
A popular player in the club’s dressing room and in the community, people wish nothing but the best for Ryan.
First, and foremost, our thoughts are with Ryan and his wife Danielle and his daughter Riley Ann. This isn’t about Bobby Ryan the hockey player, it’s about the person and he’s always a professional. Anybody who has ever spoken with him or he’s been around Ryan for any length of time will tell you he’s kind, gentle, engaging and has a warm personality.
There aren’t many in the league who can lighten up the room with the sense of humour that Ryan has most days. He’s smart and has a way of putting things into perspective with honest commentary while speaking to the media. Many just hope he’s getting the help he needs because Ryan is the kind of person you want to cheer for on a daily basis.
Ryan left the club’s skate in Detroit Monday afternoon and coach D.J. Smith told reporters he wasn’t feeling well. He didn’t suit up against the Wings and there’s no timetable for his return.
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion released a statement on Wednesday following the announcement and offered full support to Ryan during this tough time.
“Bobby is an important member of the Ottawa Senators family and he has our full support as he tends to this matter,” Dorion said.
Smith didn’t want to go much further when meeting with reporters at the Bell Centre late Wednesday afternoon before facing the Habs.
“Pierre a comment out today and out of respect for Bobby and his family I’m not going to make any comments,” Smith said. “We wish him all the best.”
This has been a difficult season for the 32-year-old Ryan. The club’s highest paid player at $7.25 million per-season, Ryan has been scratched in five of Ottawa’s 21 games this season and his role has slipped under Smith.
He has only one goal and three points in the 16 games he has suited up and on most nights his role has been limited.
A popular player in the club’s dressing room and in the community, people wish nothing but the best for Ryan.
Acquired by the Senators on July 5, 2013, from the Anaheim Ducks just hours after the club lost captain Daniel Alfredsson as a unrestricted free agent, Ryan is in his seventh season with the Ottawa Senators and has two years left on his contract.
Ryan has had to overcome a lot of odds to make to the NHL.
The story of his upbringing has been well documented. Drafted by the Ducks No. 2 overall in 2005, Bobby Ryan was born with the name Shane Stevenson. In 1997, the family left its Cherry Hill, N.J., home after his father Shane Ryan skipped out bail and moved to El Segundo, Calif.
Ryan and his late mother Melody followed. The family started a new life with a new identity until Shane Ryan was arrested in 2000. After arriving in Ottawa, Ryan told reporters he no longer wished to discuss the circumstances of what his family had been through because the story had been told several times.
After losing Melody to cancer in July, 2016, Ryan wrote a heartfelt letter to his mother in The Players’ Tribune. He wrote about the time they used to spend together just talking at the California pizza kitchen while sharing a caesar salad and a pizza on a weekly basis.
“I was 12 when dad got caught and had to go away,” Ryan wrote. “Before that, he was very much the head of the family. Everything kind of revolved around him. But after he was gone suddenly, you had to take on more than you probably ever thought you would — more than any parent should have to. You didn’t panic, though. You always seemed to be in control, even though you might not have felt like you were. And you did such an amazing job. Just, such an amazing job.”
The player assistance program was started in 1996 jointly by the league and the union and is funded by both parties. It’s a confidential program that provides players and their families with assistance with mental health, substance abuse and other matters.
Since the program is confidential, the only time an announcement is made by the NHL and the NHLPA is if a player has to take a leave of absence from the team. That’s why the news about Ryan became public and all matters surrounding the decision are being kept private while he gets the help that he needs.
You can only hope Ryan is better soon.
Twitter: @sungarrioch
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November 21, 2019 at 03:25AM
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