O'Byrne playing with a heavy heart

Excellent, well written article.  It puts everything into perspective.  Deepest sympathies to Ryan and his family.  A credit to Bob Gainey, Jacques Martin and the whole Canadiens organization for their support during this very trying time for Ryan O'Byrne.  A bigger credit to Ryan for being able to show his strength of character and sportsmanship while dealing with such a personal tragedy.

wow i take back what I said about gainey and martin they do know whats important and whats not they may need to update there hockey sence but they do know family comes first

Good luck Ryan.  The people of Victoria are with you!

Dave, thank you again for this excellent article. It moved me to tears. It never ceases to amaze me what an awesome organization that is the Montreal Canadiens. I will always be proud to be a fan.

Hang in there Ryan. My thoughts are with you. Keep making your Mom proud! :o)

........... "Thank you Cammy for making my day even more amazing!" I STILL BELIEVE. I WILL ALWAYS BELIEVE.

Great work as always Mr. Stubbs. Can't imagine what must be going through Ryan's head, but he is of strong character to continue to play, and play very well through these difficult times. Be strong O'B

My mom died of breast cancer and reading this article brought tears to my eyes. Those last few weeks and days are so grueling emotionally and mentally. O'B is showing the right attitude and hopefully his grief subsides and he feels better soon. Memories are cherished forever :)

Nice to see how classy the Habs organization is. I am sure Gainey can understand how difficult a time that was for Ryan since his wife (I think) died from Cancer also. He understands how important that time towards the end is.

I think I remember with Komo that Gilette even offered his jet/plane for him to use when he could go see his mom. Good on the Habs.

I wish peace for th O'Byrne family in the meantime

Mr. Stubbs, that article has left tears in my eyes.

Thanks to Ryan for sharing his heart with us.  I admire his strength.  Thank you, Mr. Stubbs, for sharing this article.

It's difficult losing a parent, whether it is sudden or after a long battle with a cancer, a disease, etc.  I unfortunately lost my dad suddenly, and never got the chance to say "Good bye.  I love you.  I'll miss you."  I guess it's good and bad in a way.  Good in the sense that I didn't have his imminent death on my mind.  But I know he knew I loved him, so I rest with that.  That aside, I'm glad to see and hear how the Canadiens organization see their players as people...  people like the rest of us who face the same problems we do.  I applaud Mr. Gainey for the father-figure hes been to les Boys.

God. That was tough to read.

Very nice article Dave. I hope Ryan knows that he's got tons of Montrealers behind him too, giving him our strength every shift he's on the ice.

---Hope Springs Eternal---

Great story Dave. I had tears welling up in my eyes as I read it. Hang in there Ryan.

Thank you for the great article Dave!!

I'm at work with tears in my eyes right now. Ryan is such a strong man and I wish him all the success in the world. I am also 25 yrs old myself, and I admire him very much for what he is and what he has gone through with all the Habs drama for the last 3 years and his mother's illness.

I would also like to add my sincere condolences and respects to Ryan and his family. He is carrying the burden like the strong tower that he is.

A very good article which increased the admiration I already felt for Ryan O'Byrne.  He was able to take a long hard look at his mistakes from last year, work hard in the off-season to improve his physique and his game and lately has been playing very good hockey.  Instead of being crushed by grief, he is taking his mother's strength and determination and putting it into his game.  His family, the team and the fans can be proud of him.

Man, that is one inspirational story. Hang in there Ryan. God bless you!

The Montreal Canadiens are the classiest organization in all professional sports

We all should be proud to wear the CH on our hearts.

The previous posters have said it well enough already, so I will just add my condolonces and respects to Ryan and his family...

__________________

Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference.

to Ryan

you make me proud to be a fan of the Montreal Canadiens, your character is without question. So  play on knowing that you will never be alone you will always have your mom, family,second family and every Habs fan behind you.

Paul

"The Future Belongs to Those Who Believe in the Beauty of Their Dreams." Eleanor Roosevelt

Truly a touching story, we are all quick to criticize the Habs and especially Bob Gainey about the on ice product but times and stories like these, and I remember Komo being very appreciative of how the Canadiens treated him when in the same situation as Ryan is now. Perhaps a little credit is due for the compassion showed by Bob and the organization toward their players, its is what makes the Habs the classiest organization in sports.

My heart goes out to Ryan, with what is going on in his world the guy has stepped up and played the best hockey of his career, keep the faith Ryan, the days will get better.

Great article Dave, things like this make I/O first class

Good article guys...Nice job by Bob Gainey and the Habs to give Ryan the time off even though we clearly needed him...I hope Ryan has much success in the memory of his mom...

"Vive le col roulé! Le système, C'est le col roulé!"

You know, you really have to hand it to Gainey. Allowing OB to spend time at home BEFORE her death. That time to him I'm sure was priceless. People get time off from work AFTER the death of a loved one, but then it's too late.

Great article, Dave...like Mike Komisarek's situation before, it is articles like this that are needed to realize that despite the big salaries and the celebrity, hockey players are no different than the rest of us.  They have personal stresses, they have feelings and they are dealing with situations that we often don't understand while we hurl abuse at them for their performance in a game that, at the end of the day, is really not that important in the grand scheme of life.

My admiration and respect for Ryan O'Byrne has increased greatly from watching how he has dealt with his family's tragedy.  My own father succumbed to pancreatic cancer after a 6 month battle when I was 22 years old, and my mother subsequently passed away from her own battle with heart disease 18 months later.  It is very difficult for a young adult to deal with day to day business of their chosen career when their mind is in another city.  A strong support network, such as that provided by Bob Gainey and the rest of the Canadiens organization, is so incredibly helpful in healing from a loss like that that Ryan O'Byrne has unfortunately suffered.

The O'Byrnes have the right idea in not dwelling on their loss but instead choosing to remember and celebrate the time they were able to share.  I sincerely hope that Ryan is able to carry those happy memories with him moving forwards...it is trite, but time really can heal all wounds.

Be strong Ryan, keep the faith

Dave, a really well written article.  Easily one of the best I've read on here.

It sure makes you appreciate a guy like Ryan O'Byrne... wow. 

"Until then, I go out there every night and play for my mom. I play for the strength and determination she represented. You take that energy and you try to put it on the ice, play hard and make your mom proud."

No question, his mom was proud - and would be still.  The guy's been awesome lately.

--------------------------------------------------- Listen to the SmartDog. He knows his poop!