Starting with two losses Thrashers open NHL season in mourning

ATLANTA -- This team was once filled with hope. Now, there are two unused lockers at the Atlanta Thrashers' practice rink and the same gray T-shirt in every other stall.

"We're All In It," is written across the front of the shirt.

The number "15" is on the left sleeve.

The date "10-5-03" is on the right sleeve.

The number belongs to All-Star Dany Heatley, facing criminal charges in a tragic car wreck and possibly out for the season with a knee injury. The date refers to Thrashers teammate Dan Snyder, who died Sunday from injuries suffered in the crash of Heatley's Ferrari.

"This has been my toughest week in 15 years of coaching," Bob Hartley said Wednesday, having just come off the ice after a 1 1/2-hour practice that fleetingly cleared the mind of all those grim thoughts.

The Thrashers were one of the NHL's up-and-coming teams, finishing with a flourish after Hartley took over as coach midway through last season. Everyone talked of making the playoffs for the first time in the franchise's five-year history.

Heatley was the 22-year-old centerpiece, a guy with both toughness and skill, who scored a team-record 41 goals and was named MVP of the All-Star game last season.

Everything changed on the night of Sept. 29.

Police say Heatley was driving his sports car at about 80 mph with Snyder in the passenger seat. The car spun out of control on a narrow road in Atlanta, slammed into a wall and split in half. The players were tossed onto the road like rag dolls.

Heatley's injuries made him the lucky one: two torn ligaments in his right knee, a broken jaw, some nerve damage in his left shoulder. He has undergone two surgeries and will miss most -- if not all -- of the season.

Snyder was unconscious when rescuers got to him, the victim of severe brain injuries. He hung on for six days in a coma before he died.

"I can't stop thinking about it," team captain Shawn McEachern said. "It's always on my mind."

Everyone is dealing with the same emotions: sadness, emptiness, helplessness, maybe even a little anger. Everyone is asking the same questions: Why did this have to happen to them? To us? How can one youthful mistake strike down a friend in the prime of life and leave another with a lifetime of guilt?

"Obviously, Dany never meant for any of this to happen," center Marc Savard said, his eyes red and filling with tears. "It's just a freak accident. They're both young kids. This was never meant to happen."

Columbus awaits

It did, and life goes on. The Thrashers open the season tonight against Columbus, wearing patches on their sweaters with Snyder's number, 37.

Before the game, there will be a moment of silence and a video tribute to the undersized center. Then, the puck will drop and the Thrashers will begin an almost desperate quest to earn two points "for our two Danny's."

"If you can't give 100 percent every night with what we've been though," goaltender Byron Dafoe said, "then there's something wrong with you."

On Friday, the entire team -- Heatley included -- will travel to Canada to attend Snyder's funeral.

The players made up the T-shirts to serve as a constant reminder of what they're playing for: the memory of Snyder, and the recovery of Heatley.

In another poignant touch, the lockers for Snyder and Heatley remain just as they were before the wreck -- sweaters hanging up, pads stacked on top, nameplates in place. They'll likely stay that way all season.

"We can't forget Dan Snyder, how hard he always played," Patrik Stefan said. "He would go into the corner with a 250-pound defenseman, knowing he was going to get hit, but he would still go in there to get that puck. He showed everybody what we can do. He gives us motivation."