Scott Walker and Perspective

by Bob Wage on May 16, 2009 5:37 PM EDT

This noontime I went to the RBC thinking that I might get a couple of interviews before the Carolina Hurricanes left for Pittsburgh tomorrow. Perhaps I could have found out how Eric Staal felt about playing against his brother, or asked Sergei Samsonov if he was happy about beating the team that drafted him. But instead of the typical interview process, I was quite surprised to find out that Scott Walker was addressing the media in a special press conference and was as shocked as anyone when I heard his news.

Walker's wife, Julie, has recently been diagnosed with cervical cancer. While she is expected to make a full, complete recovery, one can only imagine what was on the hockey player's mind during the past couple of weeks as he was competing at the highest level for the toughest trophy to obtain in all of sports.

The Hurricanes winger made the headlines a couple of times during the recent series against Boston, first when he punched Aaron Ward at the end of game 5, and then as a hero when he scored the game winner near the end of overtime in game 7. An emotional Walker choked up and fought back tears during his postgame interview, but very few knew the true reason why. Now the world knows.

Today, Walker stated that he was lucky to be a part of a hockey team at a time like this. The team is like a family, they take care of their own and he and his wife are receiving all the support needed from his teammates and their wives. When he was on the road away from his wife, he tried his best to focus on the task at hand, which was to do whatever he could to help his team win.

Paul Maurice spoke to the press after Walker and stated that he found out about the situation a week ago. When the coaching staff decided to move "Scottie" to the first line with Staal and Whitney before game 7, they were thinking, "who else is more focused at this time?" Obviously, they made the right decision.

It's amazing how some people can compartmentalize things enough to put personal tragedy aside and focus on the task at hand. Of course, the world's best athletes are trained to concentrate in this manner even under normal circumstances. The ability must really come in handy under adverse conditions.

Remarkably, two Hurricanes have been battling extreme personal issues during these playoffs, and both of them have had tremendous success. Jussi Jokinen lost his father unexpectedly in March and has two game winning postseason goals as well as a game tying goal in game 7 against New Jersey. Now Scott Walker has the game winning goal in game 7 against Boston. Remarkable indeed.

On this blog we try to touch a on bit of everything. We don't take ourselves too seriously here, but we do attempt to inform more so than entertain our readers. I'll stand by my previous article when I said with tongue in cheek that it's okay for fans to boo and dislike players, if they want to do that. But wow, Cory's recent article about taking a player's feelings into consideration certainly hit home today.

We will move on and start to analyze the upcoming series very soon.

Finally, Cory and I wish the very best for the Walker family at this time.

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Comments

My thoughts and prayers to the Walker family, wishing Julie a speedy recovery

by jenniwa30 on May 16, 2009 6:27 PM EDT reply actions

+1

Prayers and good wishes to everyone in the Walker family.

by David Tokarz on May 17, 2009 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions

I got to ask

-1

What does that mean?

Knowledge is Power!
Power Corrupts!
Study hard,
Become Evil!

by lcd2you on May 17, 2009 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions

well…. in that particular comment I think that they were adding one prayer on top of Jens prayers for the Walker family….

I’m assuming that you know what the +1 -1 terms mean in the hockey sense…..

by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on May 18, 2009 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions

My thoughts and prayers are with the Walker family as well. It’s amazing that Walker can concentrate on hockey at all, let alone play at such a high level.

This entire team is made of really good character people. The way they deal with adversity, both on the ice and off of it, makes me proud to be a Canes fan. They serve as an example that I hope to be able to live up to if I am ever in a tough position.

-Jim Clarke

by kubiak on May 16, 2009 6:38 PM EDT reply actions

dittos on the thoughts and prayers……guess this is the reason he scored the series clincher against the Bruins…..as I have heard the lord works in mysterious ways.

by lrcaniac on May 16, 2009 6:58 PM EDT reply actions

Puts it all in perspective now

I don’t pray and I don’t invoke any form or idea of a godhead but to the human doctors and scientists who can work on this and fix, please do so.

Nobody needs cancer in their family.

Knowledge is Power!
Power Corrupts!
Study hard,
Become Evil!

by lcd2you on May 16, 2009 8:30 PM EDT reply actions

Doctors rock.

Put it the hands of those trained professionals that will help.

by KenRab on May 17, 2009 8:30 AM EDT up reply actions

worth seeing:

Take a moment to see the Canes’ posted video of Scotty, Coach Mo and a couple teammates talking at noon about this, on the main page of the Hurricanes website. Just when I didn’t think I could be any prouder of this team.

http://hurricanes.nhl.com/

by Carolyn Christians on May 16, 2009 9:26 PM EDT reply actions

Wow. This sheds some light on his post-game 7 interview with Tripp Tracy when he said that the past week had been one of the hardest ever for him. He could barely hold back the tears, and you just knew there had to be something else going on.

by nomadologist on May 16, 2009 9:52 PM EDT reply actions

Glad they expect Walker’s wife to be OK. As someone who has had multiple family members with cancer, I know how difficult it can be.

by SkinsCapsTerps on May 16, 2009 10:03 PM EDT reply actions

I’m thinking Mrs. Walker will turn out to be even tougher than her husband… Best of luck to them.

by Andrea's evil twin on May 16, 2009 11:05 PM EDT reply actions

This turned my stomach. I wish Scott and Julie nothing but luck in this difficult, but winnable, battle. I think we’d all be content with no more wins this year if it meant Julie getting back to good health.

CanesCountry.com: An Eye On Carolina Hockey

by Cory Lavalette on May 17, 2009 1:14 AM EDT reply actions

We would, but as Scotty said, it would make Julie even happier to watch them win… It’s probably a pretty good feel-good distraction for her. That said, may Scotty score 8 goals this series!

by Andrea's evil twin on May 17, 2009 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions

You know...

We’ve watched Scotty ever since he came here after we won The Cup. We’ve seen him stand up against the biggest and baddest goons in hockey. We’ve never seen anything like what happened with Ward, and I for one was so disappointed in him. I was speechless. I would try to find the words to reason it out (Ward provoked it messing with Cullen, Ward goaded him into it and took one for the team, Ward did this Ward did that…), but deep down I could not justify it. I just thought Scotty could have held back at the last second just as fast as Ward dropped his arms by his side. I was flabbergasted because I’ve never seen a Cane do anything like that, and never seen Scotty do anything like that. There were plenty of Bruins I wanted anyone to drop, but with a clean hit or a fair fight, but Aaron Ward from Scotty Walker just the way it happened shocked me.

I think this explains things for me. The way it looked was completely out of character and now I know that he had a heavy, heavy burden weighing on him. I don’t see this as a “convenient excuse” as probably a lot of Boston fans will see it. This is the main reason in my mind that it happened. Defending Cullen, what Ward said on the ice, Ward’s gloved punch, just didn’t add up to what I saw. Now when you add those things up AND you consider this massive personal concern, I get it.

I’ve been through a time in my life that felt like a living hell. It was all I could do to focus on the simplest of tasks. Things happened in that time that were completely out of character for me so I know from that experience that the same thing happened to Walker. I can now drop my wonderment and bad feelings about “The Punch.” I feel this explanation better excuses his actions than all his apologies and the immediate concern he showed Ward after he dropped him. Those two things were very telling of how he wished it worked out differently and I gave him a lot of credit for that. I was extremely happy for him because he scored that goal to kind of get out of the spotlight of the punch and into the spotlight for something positive.

Now I’m happy for him for the obvious new reason that goes so far beyond hockey, punches, bad press, redemption and more. I’m happy for him because it is great stuff that he and his wife can hang on to during these difficult times. Wow, I am so proud Scotty Walker is a Hurricane and so happy I feel that way. I hope all news is great news from now on in the Walker household. Go ’Canes!

Love, love, love the Canes!

by Caniac Jack on May 17, 2009 1:40 AM EDT reply actions

Great post. You put into words pretty much exactly how I feel about the whole weird series of events.

by hip_check on May 17, 2009 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions

Thanks...

Making that post kind of organized my feelings on it as well. It was kind of difficult, before writing it out, to get a true grip on it. I think, if anything, this whole fiasco has made him one of my favorite Hurricanes by just how he’s dealt with each event.

After the punch, he showed remorse.

After the goal, he showed unconstrained jubilation.

During the press conference announcing his wife’s diagnosis he showed strength, resolve and humility.

It might have been a “Hell of a week” for him, but look how he handled it all. I don’t think many people would come out of the week the way Scotty Walker has.

Love, love, love the Canes!

by Caniac Jack on May 17, 2009 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't find it to be a convenient excuse.

I can see that his thoughts might have not been completely focused during that altercation.

I still say it was a sucker punch, and he probably did deserve a suspension, but I sympathize after hearing this.

Those are two different issues though.

by 13_Legion on May 18, 2009 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions

Not really

when my daughter had her appendix rupture (and me thinking it was just a stomach bug) let’s say I did something stupid as well. Walker hit Ward thinking Ward was messing with Cullen. What does that make Walker? In my book, human.

As for a “sucker punch”, as Ward did hit/push back/whatever you want to call it to Walker first, I don’t call that a sucker punch. To me a “sucker punch” is when you get a tap on the shoulder, turn to look but before you see who did it, you’re hit. Ward was looking at him the entire tire.

Knowledge is Power!
Power Corrupts!
Study hard,
Become Evil!

by lcd2you on May 18, 2009 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Let me clear up what I said.

The intent of the article, I thought, was saying that we Boston fans would just say, “oh, convenient excuse.”

I disagree, I think it shows that his head wasn’t all there, I do understand what happened.

However, just as you said, you might have done something stupid in the case of your daughter. Is that alright to the individual on the other side of the abuse? Probably not. In your case, that might be a night in the coolie.

In Walker’s situation, the Instigator should have been a suspension, as that is the rule.

Laws and rules need to be followed, no?

Either way, I hope the best for his wife and him.

Anyway that both you and Pittsburgh can lose this series?

Glad the Blackhawks are still playing at least…… ;)

by 13_Legion on May 18, 2009 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions

Intent of the article?

Where did I say anywhere in the article that his situation was a “convenient excuse” for what happened with Ward?"

The “intent” of my article was to throw the facts out there and let everyone decide for themselves about the circumstances that unfolded that week.

GM of CanesCountry.com

by Bob Wage on May 18, 2009 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Not you.

I meant the response by Caniac Jack.

Seems Kessel and David K. are going under the knife by the way.

I really wonder how much a longer playoff push might have hurt them, or if we’d have been able to call on their services if we had made it past you guys.

Damn, here’s hoping to next year I guess.

by 13_Legion on May 18, 2009 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions

sorry, I see now.

it’s amazing what these guys play through that no one hears about until afterwards. and quite often a baseball pitcher can’t play because of a blister on their finger.

GM of CanesCountry.com

by Bob Wage on May 18, 2009 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions

I hear you.

The dedication of hockey players I feel is second to none.

Man, this has me in a real funk now. No more Boston hockey, I hate baseball (and even if I was, I can’t stand the cult around the Red Sox), and no football until September.

Man, I’m lost……

Go Blackhawks I suppose. Though I look forward to you and Pitt ruining one another. :-D

by 13_Legion on May 18, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, I shouldn't say all hockey is done.

I have tickets to the Providence Bruins this coming Friday. AHL Eastern Finals.

Go and watch the future compete for the Calder Cup.

by 13_Legion on May 18, 2009 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions

By the way...

Did anyone else think Walker looked a little like Jim Valvano “running around” crazy looking for someone to hug? Walker, in this case, was trying to get to Cam. Valvano, after the 1983 NCAA Championship was looking for “anyone” as I remember it.

Love, love, love the Canes!

by Caniac Jack on May 17, 2009 3:19 AM EDT reply actions

I mentioned that in my article about Orpik.

CanesCountry.com: An Eye On Carolina Hockey

by Cory Lavalette on May 17, 2009 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions

Ooooops...

I read most of y’all’s articles and I’m kind of done with the whole Orpik thing so I skipped that one. That makes me want to read it and so I will!

Love, love, love the Canes!

by Caniac Jack on May 17, 2009 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions

God bless the Walkers

Here’s hoping that Mrs. Walker has a full recovery and is present next season as we watch yet another banner raised to the rafters. Just when I thought I couldn’t love this team anymore…Scotty is the type of guy that makes you want to run thru walls. Every silver lining has a touch of grey…at least the Walkers have access to some of the finest medical treatment in the country.

by SouthernHockeyFan on May 17, 2009 8:38 AM EDT reply actions

Man that’s rough. I hope she has a speedy recovery. No one should have to go through that.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on May 17, 2009 11:44 AM EDT reply actions

This gives me a whole new respect for this team and Scott Walker. There are plenty of Canes fans at my church and we’ll keep them in our thoughts and prayers. Best of luck to Scott and his family.

by McCoy17 on May 17, 2009 12:38 PM EDT reply actions