Dan Snyder (ice hockey)

Dan Snyder
Dan Snyder
Born	February 23, 1978; Elmira, Ontario, Canada
Died	October 5, 2003 (aged 25); Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Atlanta Thrashers
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1999–2003

Last updated October 05, 2019

Daniel Joseph Snyder (February 23, 1978 – October 5, 2003) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played as a centre in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta Thrashers. Following a single-vehicle accident in which he was a passenger, Snyder was injured and fell into a coma as a result. He died six days later of septic shock.

Canadians are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, several of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Canadian.

Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice, usually in a rink, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent's net to score points. The sport is known to be fast-paced and physical, with teams usually consisting of six players each: one goaltender, and five players who skate up and down the ice trying to take the puck and score a goal against the opposing team.

The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the sideboards. Centers have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player. Centers are ideally stronger, faster skaters who can back-check quickly from deep in the opposing zone. Generally, centers are expected to be gifted passers more than goal scorers, although there are exceptions. They are also expected to have exceptional "ice vision", intelligence, and creativity. They also generally are the most defensively oriented forwards on the ice. Centers usually play as part of a line of players that are substituted frequently to keep fresh and keep the game moving.

Although he played in only forty-nine NHL games, the Thrashers named an annual award after him. The Dan Snyder Memorial Award is given each year to the player who "best embodies perseverance, dedication, and hard work without reward or recognition, so that his team and teammates might succeed." After the Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg the Jets continued to present the award. The American Hockey League's (AHL) Chicago Wolves also have a yearly award given in his honor, the Dan Snyder Man of the Year Award, and have honored him by hanging a banner with other retired numbers and honored personnel. Likewise the Ontario Hockey League renamed their Humanitarian of the Year trophy in his honor as the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy.

The Dan Snyder Memorial Award is awarded each year to the player of the Winnipeg Jets who "best embodies perseverance, dedication and hard work without reward or recognition, so that his team and teammates might succeed." The award was created in 2004, when the franchise was located in Atlanta, to commemorate Atlanta Thrashers forward, Dan Snyder, who died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident in September 2003. A similar award is awarded in the OHL and is known as the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy. Sometimes the Jets' award is called the same name.

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. Centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, it is near the longitudinal centre of North America, approximately 110 kilometres (70 mi) north of the Canada–United States border.

The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment and plays its home games at Bell MTS Place.

Playing career

Junior

In 1994 Snyder was one of the last players selected for his hometown Junior B team, the Elmira Sugar Kings. He struggled early in the season and was warned that if his poor play continued he might be replaced. Snyder's play improved following the talk, eventually earning the Sugar Kings rookie of the year honors.^[1] The following year he tried out for the Owen Sound Platers, a Major junior team playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).^[2] After starting his try-out slowly, the coaching staff gave him the option to stop and pursue an NCAA scholarship.^[2] Snyder decided to continue his try-out and made the team after leading the Platers in scoring during the exhibition season.^[3] He played four years for the Platers registering 75 goals and 221 points, captaining the team in his final two seasons.^[4]

The Elmira Sugar Kings are a junior ice hockey team based in Elmira, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Mid-Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Owen Sound Platers was a name used for a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1989 to 2000, in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. In 2000, after the team was sold, new ownership renamed the team the Owen Sound Attack.

The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–21. There are currently 20 teams in the OHL; seventeen in Ontario, two in Michigan, and one in Pennsylvania.

Professional

Undrafted, Snyder was signed by the Thrashers as a free agent in 1999. During his time in the minor leagues, he was a member of the International Hockey League champion Orlando Solar Bears in 2000–2001, and the American Hockey League champion Chicago Wolves In 2001–2002, he was called up to the NHL, he scored 10 goals and four assists in 36 games with the Thrashers in the 2002–2003 season.

The International Hockey League (IHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1945 to 2001. The IHL served as the National Hockey League's alternate farm system to the American Hockey League (AHL). After 56 years of operation, financial instability led to the league's demise. Six of the surviving seven teams merged into the AHL in 2001.

The Orlando Solar Bears were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Orlando, Florida. The Solar Bears played in the International Hockey League's Eastern Conference. They played their home games at the Orlando Arena.

American Hockey League ice hockey league in the United States

The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the league has an affiliation agreement with one NHL team. When NHL teams do not have an AHL affiliate, players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL teams. Twenty-seven AHL teams are located in the United States and the remaining four are in Canada. The league offices are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and its current president is David Andrews.

Death and legacy

On September 29, 2003, Snyder was critically injured after the Ferrari 360 Modena, being driven by his friend and teammate Dany Heatley, crashed.^[5] Heatley, who was driving between 55 and 82 MPH in a 35 MPH zone,^[6] lost control and skidded into a brick pillar and iron fence.^[5] Both players were ejected from the car, which was split in half by the force of the impact.^[7] Snyder required surgery to repair a depressed skull fracture and was comatose.^[5]^[8] Six days later on October 5, he lapsed into septic shock and died, never regaining consciousness.^[7]^[9] Heatley was charged with vehicular homicide as a result of the crash, a sentence that could have carried as much as 15 years in prison.^[10] He pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain a lane, and speeding. He was sentenced to three years' probation and ordered to give 150 speeches on the dangers of speeding, and pay $25,000 to Fulton County for the cost of investigating the crash.^[6] The lighter sentence was due in part to Snyder's parents forgiving Heatley for the accident, their desire that he not be sent to prison, and the judge's opinion that Heatley being in prison would not benefit the community.^[6]

The Ferrari 360 is a two-seater, mid-engine, rear wheel drive sports car manufactured by Italian automotive manufacturer Ferrari from 1999 to 2005. It succeeded the Ferrari F355 and was replaced by the Ferrari F430 in 2005.

Daniel James Heatley is a German-born Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top NHL rookie in 2002. However, after being responsible for a car crash in September 2003 that killed teammate and close friend Dan Snyder, he requested a trade and was subsequently dealt to the Ottawa Senators.

A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened; fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound; lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle; and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhibit a complete absence of wakefulness and are unable to consciously feel, speak or move. Comas can be derived by natural causes, or can be medically induced.

The following season, Atlanta dedicated the season to Snyder and Heatley, while further honoring Snyder with a patch displaying his number 37 on it and painting the same logo on the boards.^[9]^[11]^[12] Snyder was further honored with the creation of The Dan Snyder Memorial Scholarship. The scholarships were to be given to three recipients from the Elmira area.^[13] On December 31, 2003, the Thrashers played the Detroit Red Wings; during the game both teams wore the commemorative patch.^[11] Following the game the NHLPA auctioned off the game-worn jerseys with the proceeds going towards the scholarships; the resulting auction raised $56,029.^[13] The Chicago Wolves paid tribute to Snyder by renaming their community service award the Dan Snyder Man of the Year Award,^[14] while the OHL renamed their Humanitarian of the Year trophy in his honor, making it the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy.

The 2003–04 NHL season was the 87th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup champions were the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the best of seven series four games to three against the Calgary Flames.

The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) and are one of the Original Six teams of the league. Founded in 1926, the team was known as the Detroit Cougars until 1930. For the 1930–31 and 1931–32 seasons the team was called the Detroit Falcons, and in 1932 changed their name to the Red Wings.

NHLPA is the labour union for the group of professional hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the 31 member clubs in the National Hockey League (NHL) located in the United States and Canada. The Association represents its membership in all matters dealing with their working conditions and contractual rights as well as serving as their exclusive collective bargaining agent.

During the 2006–07 NHL season, Snyder's parents, Graham and LuAnn Snyder, traveled across North America in an RV attending NHL games and speaking at engagements to raise awareness for the Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation, a foundation that provides four college scholarships a year and helps raise money for the Elmira recreation center.^[15]

Canadian band The Tragically Hip recorded a song called "Heaven Is a Better Place Today" in honor of Snyder. The song appears on their In Between Evolution album.^[16]

In 2003, plans for a new sports complex in Elmira were completed with a projected completion date in 2017. Snyder felt that the project needed to be completed much quicker and wanted to help make it happen sooner.^[17] After his death the Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation contributed $750,000 to the project which opened in 2009.^[17] The main arena houses the Sugar Kings and was named the Dan Snyder Memorial Arena.^[18] The Atlanta Thrashers held a practice and promotional session in the arena on October 18, 2009.^[19]

Career statistics

			Regular season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1995–96	Owen Sound Platers	OHL	63	8	17	25	78	6	1	2	3	4
1996–97	Owen Sound Platers	OHL	57	17	29	46	96	4	2	3	5	6
1997–98	Owen Sound Platers	OHL	46	23	33	56	74	10	2	3	5	16
1998–99	Owen Sound Platers	OHL	64	27	67	94	110	16	8	5	13	30
1999–00	Orlando Solar Bears	IHL	71	12	13	25	123	6	1	2	3	4
2000–01	Orlando Solar Bears	IHL	78	13	30	43	127	16	7	3	10	20
2000–01	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL	2	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—
2001–02	Chicago Wolves	AHL	56	11	24	35	115	22	7	10	17	25
2001–02	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL	11	1	1	2	30	—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Atlanta Thrashers	NHL	36	10	4	14	34	—	—	—	—	—
2002–03	Chicago Wolves	AHL	35	11	12	23	39	—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals			49	11	5	16	64	—	—	—	—	—

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References

↑ Manasso p. 23
1 2 Manasso p. 18
↑ Manasso p. 24
↑ "Snyder captained Attack for two years". ESPN.com. 2003-12-20. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
1 2 3 "A Sadness In Atlanta". Sports Illustrated . 2003-10-13. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
1 2 3 Glier, Ray (2005-02-05). "Heatley Sentenced to 3 Years' Probation". The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-09-06.
1 2 "Thrashers' Snyder Dies". The New York Times . 2003-10-06. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
↑ "Snyder in critical condition; Heatley injured in car crash". CBC. 2003-10-01. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
1 2 Adelson, Eric (2003-12-23). "Snyder's death brings teammates closer". ESPN the Magazine . Retrieved 2010-09-08.
↑ Glier, Ray (2004-01-29). "HOCKEY; Heatley Returns to Ice Months After a Fatal Crash". The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-09-06.
1 2 "Team to wear tribute patch, donate game-worn jerseys". ESPN.com. 2003-12-31. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
↑ Merron, Jeff (2003-10-09). "Game provides relief from grieving". ESPN.com . Retrieved 2010-09-06.
1 2 "$56,029 Raised for the Dan Snyder Memorial Scholarship Through an Online Auction". NHLPA . Retrieved 2010-09-06.
↑ Spellman, Mike. "Wolves get emotional boost on Snyder Night". Daily Herald . Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
↑ Branch, John (2007-05-16). "Parents of Dan Snyder Forgive but Can't Forget". The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-09-06.
↑ Manasso, John (2004-09-24). "Canadian band honors Snyder in song". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
1 2 LeBrun, Pierre (2009-10-16). "Dan Snyder's dream to come true in Elmira". ESPN.com . Retrieved 2010-09-06.
↑ O'Brien, Richard (2007-11-15). "Elmira arena campaign nets $1.75M". Waterloo Region Record . Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
↑ "Thrashers returning to Elmira to honor Snyder". NHL. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2009-10-19.

Manasso, John (2005). A Season of Loss, a Lifetime of Forgiveness: The Dan Snyder and Dany Heatley Story. Toronto: ECW Press.

External links

Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or Eliteprospects.com , or Hockey-Reference.com , or Legends of Hockey , or The Internet Hockey Database
Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Manasso p. 23

[p18-2] 1 2 Manasso p. 18

[3] Manasso p. 24

[4] "Snyder captained Attack for two years". ESPN.com. 2003-12-20. Retrieved 2010-09-08.

[SI-5] 1 2 3 "A Sadness In Atlanta". Sports Illustrated . 2003-10-13. Retrieved 2018-01-23.

[probation-6] 1 2 3 Glier, Ray (2005-02-05). "Heatley Sentenced to 3 Years' Probation". The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-09-06.

[nyt-7] 1 2 "Thrashers' Snyder Dies". The New York Times . 2003-10-06. Retrieved 2010-09-06.

[8] "Snyder in critical condition; Heatley injured in car crash". CBC. 2003-10-01. Retrieved 2018-01-23.

[closer-9] 1 2 Adelson, Eric (2003-12-23). "Snyder's death brings teammates closer". ESPN the Magazine . Retrieved 2010-09-08.

[10] Glier, Ray (2004-01-29). "HOCKEY; Heatley Returns to Ice Months After a Fatal Crash". The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-09-06.

[patch-11] 1 2 "Team to wear tribute patch, donate game-worn jerseys". ESPN.com. 2003-12-31. Retrieved 2010-09-06.

[12] Merron, Jeff (2003-10-09). "Game provides relief from grieving". ESPN.com . Retrieved 2010-09-06.

[Auction-13] 1 2 "$56,029 Raised for the Dan Snyder Memorial Scholarship Through an Online Auction". NHLPA . Retrieved 2010-09-06.

[14] Spellman, Mike. "Wolves get emotional boost on Snyder Night". Daily Herald . Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-09-09.

[15] Branch, John (2007-05-16). "Parents of Dan Snyder Forgive but Can't Forget". The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-09-06.

[16] Manasso, John (2004-09-24). "Canadian band honors Snyder in song". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-09-09.

[arena-17] 1 2 LeBrun, Pierre (2009-10-16). "Dan Snyder's dream to come true in Elmira". ESPN.com . Retrieved 2010-09-06.

[18] O'Brien, Richard (2007-11-15). "Elmira arena campaign nets $1.75M". Waterloo Region Record . Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-03.

[19] "Thrashers returning to Elmira to honor Snyder". NHL. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2009-10-19.