Some of the best times of my life were spent cheering on the Carolina Hurricanes in the unlikely venue of the Greensboro Coliseum.  The former Hartford Whalers were in town temporarily while their new arena was being built in Raleigh.  About 5,000 fans a night would show up and I could drive up right before a game, park in front of the building and be home 15 minutes after the final horn had sounded.  Beyond the convenience, the Canes were a fun, hardworking team to watch led by the much underappreciated Keith Primeau.

That work ethic landed them in the playoffs in 1999 against the Boston Bruins.  With the series tied at 2 games a piece Carolina and Boston played one of the greatest NHL games of all time, going into double overtime before Anson Carter put the puck in Carolina's net 14 minutes into the second overtime.  We cheered ourselves (all 11,000 of us) hoarse and could barely walk back to our cars afterward so draining the game had been.  The next night the Canes travelled to Boston and lost 2-0, their energy and season left behind on the ice in Greensboro.

In many ways the star of that series for Carolina was a defenseman named Steve Chaisson.  Back then the Canes defensemen all drew low numbers, and although he wore #3 he was number one with the few fans in Greensboro.  If the puck was in Carolina's zone you knew Chaisson would work against the boards till they got it out.  If the team looked rattled on defense, Chaisson coming onto the ice usually settled things down.  On the bench he was often laughing and involved in the game, someone who loved the sport and was respected by his team.  Against Boston he even managed to drill a slapshot by Bryan Dafoe on a power play in the overtime game.  The image of how happy he looked on the ice remains with me still. 

After the loss in Boston the players came back to Raleigh to go their separate ways.  But not before some team members got together for a party at which Chaisson drank too much and then drove home alone, despite being offered a ride by a team mate who knew he had had too much to drink.  The rest is sad history and Chaisson was soon dead in a single car accident, leaving behind a young family.

New Year's Eve is coming up and alot of sports fans are going to be out drinking and unfortunately some of them will be out driving as well.  They aren't  professional athletes and if they die in a car wreck it won't be front page news.  But, they should remember that to their friends, family, and coworkers they are key players.  They are the guys who clear away life's messes for others, chip in the key assist at the office, plug away when things aren't going well, and bring laughter and good times to their friends.  In short, they are the Steve Chaisson's of the world.  We've lost one too many of those already and here's hoping we don't lose more this year.  

Have a  happy and, more importantly, safe New Year!