Sports

September 15, 2008

 

 

 

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Speed and offensive creativity have never been words used to describe Brad

Isbister. He’s a slow liability.

In other news involving the Canucks, the seemingly never-ending Mats

_Sundin saga has dragged on even further. Sundin has said through a newspaper

in Sweden that he has no intention whatsoever of deciding upon his playing

future before the season officially opens, which means that he will most

certainly miss at the very least the first few games of the new season. He has

also said that he hasn’t ruled out retirement, and that he is also considering

following in the footsteps of Teemu Selanne from last year, who waited until

months of the season ended before signing with the Anaheim Ducks late in the

year. Seriously, getting this guy to commit is like trying to get Donald Trump to

give all his money to charity and say material possessions don’t matter.

One thing seems increasingly likely, however; Mats Sundin won’t be

suiting up with the Vancouver Canucks any time soon.

 

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Lance Armstrong:

Easily cycling’s most famous name,
Lance Armstrong announced on
September 9" that he would be ending
his three year retirement to make a
comeback and attempt to win his
eighth Tour De France title in 2009.
After winning the Tour seven
consecutive times, Armstrong retired
from professional cycling in 2005.
Now 36, he’s decided to make his
return in order to raise awareness of
cancer. Armstrong is a survivor of
testicular, brain and lung cancer.
During his break from the bike,
Armstrong kept busy. Just before
retiring, he made a cameo appearance
in Dodgeball. He would later run
the New York City marathon and get
involved in Texas politics. He’s said
that in the future he has an interest in
running for governor of Texas.

 

 

Ricky Williams:

Ricky Williams, another projected

franchise saviour, has also had his

career derailed, although it wasn’t

injuries that did Williams in; it was
drug addiction.

He was suspended several times
from the NFL for frequent marijuana
violations. In 2004, after yet another
suspension, Williams prematurely
retired from football. However, in
2005, Williams made his return to
football. Miami gave him another
shot, and for the fourth time, Williams
violated league drug rules.

He then fled to Ontario and suited
up for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts.
The signing drew a media firestorm
from critics, and it didn’t exactly
subside when Williams put up less than
extravagant numbers.

The next season Williams,
shockingly, returned to the Miami
Dolphins. As part of an agreement,
Williams was tested multiple times
per week. Now clean, he ripped his
pectoral muscle apart.

Now, however, Williams is drug
and injury free and just helped Miami
to its first loss of the season.

 

 

 

 

Troy Aikman:

Once the anointed saviour of the
Dallas Cowboys franchise, a constant
stream of injuries derailed the formerly
potential Hall of Famer’s career. Now
41, Aikman retired from football in
2001.

That same year, Aikman joined
NBC’s team as a colour commentator.
The next season, he was promoted to
the leading NBC announce team. He’s
been heavily involved in announcing
ever since, and even hosts his own
weekly football talk show. In 2004, he
received an Emmy nomination for his
work.

In 2005, Aikman was inducted into
the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was
enshrined in the Dallas Cowboys Ring
of Honor.

He then started his own professional
racing team called “Hall of Fame
Racing” and co-drove car #96. He is
now working with his race team and
NASCAR.

 

 

Wes Walz:

Wes Walz was a key member of the
Minnesota Wild for years. He was
often referred to as the team’s hardest
working player and a strong leader
both on and off the ice. However, on
November 1*, 2007, Walz abruptly and
seemingly without reason left the team.

The Wild organization
reported that Walz had temporarily
departed for “personal reasons” and
was taking time off. There was little
word from him until November 8",
when Minnesota gave permission
for him to make his leave of absence
indefinite.

After that, there was nothing
regarding his whereabouts until
December 1", when a press conference
was scheduled and Walz suddenly
retired from professional hockey. At
the time of his retirement, he was
Minnesota’s all time games played
leader, and one of the few remaining
from the original Wild season.

During the off season this
year, Walz was hired by the rebuilding
Tampa Bay Lightning and took the role
of assistant coach behind newly hired
head coach Barry Melrose.

 

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