Today (Dec. 9) is the first day in nine years that Pascal Dupuis will not be suiting up -- either in skates or in street clothes -- as a proud member of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.
Dupuis, 36, a sufferer of deep vein thrombosis like myself, could no longer balance the risks taken in one of the most physical games with the likelihood of further serious injury. He will not play another game for Penguins. In my case, I steer away from contact sports because of the risks of internal bleeding. Dupuis, God bless him, skated full speed into the fray.
Until today. Dupuis wasn't a feared scoring threat like Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, or an all-world goalie like Marc-Andre Fleury. He wasn't all-world, he is all-heart. A man for all seasons, not just from October until June.
Next: Running for Your Life: If the Greats Were With Us Thursday
