According to the NHL’s website, Teppo Numminen has been cleared to play again after having open heart surgery last year. Teppo was a part of our team in 2003-04 and he was one of the hardest working and nicest guys I’ve ever met. I was at practice the day he was diagnosed with a dilated aorta, and he stopped to pose for pictures and signed autographs even though he had to be way nervous about going to the doctor after practice. I remember he parked in the public area of the parking lot, and he nicely parted the crowd to get to his car.
I say all this because I think the Sabres treated a great player and a great person very poorly. They suspended him without pay for the time while he was out. This was just a few weeks after they announced he would be captain for the 2007-08 season.
I know that the bottom line is hockey is a business, and the players often pay for this. Teppo, a steady defenseman who showed heart and grit for every team he’s played for, deserved far more than what he got from the Sabres management.
He’ll be a free agent this summer, and any team would be lucky to pick him up.
Amy
I thought I read that he was being paid through their insurance which is why/how the team wasn’t paying him. Now I can’t find where I read it so I got nothing to back me up. Then, why would he have filed a grievance against them if that were the case? So I still got nothing…
I thought I read that he was being paid through their insurance which is why/how the team wasn’t paying him.
That may be true, but I haven’t seen the article. I’d like to see it if you can find it.
Amy
Okay, I’m going to have to print a full retraction! I have done several searches and can’t find my source. (I hope it wasn’t one of those terrible sports talk radio shows that I should never listen to! Hee!) On a happy note, Teppo did get to play the other day. Yea!