A Season of Loss, a Lifetime of Foregiveness : The Dan Snyder and Dany Heatley Story

This narrative about two boys from different backgrounds touches on family, forgiveness, sport, and making peace with tragedy. Dan Snyder was not a sure thing in professional hockey, but defied expectations—playing for both the minor league's Chicago Wolves and the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers. Dany Heatley, on the other hand, had been tapped for success from the start as a college star and high draft pick. The two made an unlikely pair, but became friends. In September of 2003, the then 22-year-old Heatley lost control of his speeding Ferrari; Snyder was thrown from the vehicle and died six days later. The loss of their teammate, friend, and son sent those who knew Snyder looking for healing or revenge. As the legal story unfolds, so too does a story of forgiveness, rooted in the Canadian Mennonite tradition from which Snyder hailed. Snyder's family, taking an approach to their loss dictated by their faith, chose to make peace with both Heatley and his parents. This story of forgiveness reveals a lesson in loss, hope, and peace in the face of tragedy. For two seasons, Dan Snyder narrowly escaped being cut from his junior hockey team. Success in the sport he loved may not have come easy, but it always came. A player who made himself into a professional through sheer force of will and strength of character, Snyder defied the scouts who said he'd never make it and earned a spot with the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers. Throughout it all, those who knew Dan Snyder would describe him as the kind of person others naturally gravitate toward....Dany Heatley was one of those people. Together, they made a bit of an odd pair: Snyder the undrafted but hardworking grinder who beat the odds; and Heatley, the college star, the can't-miss pro prospect and eventual All-Star who seemed almost destined to be the NHL's next "great one."On September 29, 2003, not far from his home, 22-year-old Dany Heatley lost control of his Ferrari while speeding down a treacherous Atlanta road. Snyder, who was in the passenger seat, was thrown from the car. He died of an infection in Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital six days later, never emerging from a coma.The lives of family, friends and teammates were changed forever - heartfelt grief and the very real celebration of Dan Snyder's spirit uniting them in a search for meaning and healing. The Tragically Hip memorialized him in song. Hockey fans and well-wishers from around the globe sent the Snyder family letters and messages of condolence and support.Written in this spirit, John Manasso's A Season of Loss, A Lifetime of Forgiveness is a thoughtful, thorough and compelling account of how Snyder's life and tragic death devastated the fraternity of hockey and touched a nation. Dan Snyder narrowly escaped being cut from his junior hockey team for two years in a row. That's hardly the stuff that NHL careers are made of. But Snyder earned his spot on the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers roster through sheer force of will and strength of character, even though scouts thought the odds were against him. Those who knew Snyder describe him as the kind of person others naturally gravitated towards. One of those people was Dany Heatley, college star, All-Star, and marked one of the nhl's next great players. On September 29, 2003, while driving down a treacherous Atlanta road with Snyder, Heatley lost control of his car. Snyder was injured, and died in hospital six days later. The lives of his family, friends, and teammates changed forever, as they searched for meaning and healing. Meanwhile, authorities in Atlanta charged Heatley with vehicular homicide. Snyder's family, however, took a path of forgiveness and reconciliation — a path that is ingrained in the Mennonite tradition from which they hail. While some might lash out against an easy target, the Snyders invited Heatley and his parents into their lives in an effort to make peace with their grief. This paperback edition contains an afterword by the Snyder family. Annotation Touching on family, forgiveness, sport, and making peace with tragedy, this narrative captures the lives of two unlikely friends from very different backgrounds. Dan Snyder was not a sure thing in professional hockey but defied expectations by playing for both the minor league's Chicago Wolves and the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers. Dany Heatley, on the other hand, had been tapped for success from the start as a college star and high draft pick. In September of 2003, however, their lives were tragically altered when the then 22-year-old Heatley lost control of his speeding Ferrari and Snyder, who was thrown from the vehicle, died in a hospital six days later. The loss of their teammate, friend, and son sent those who knew Snyder looking for redemption or, in some cases, revenge. As the legal story unfolds, so too does a story of forgiveness, rooted in the Canadian Mennonite tradition from which Snyder hailed. Updated to include an afterword by the Snyder family, this story shows how the afflicted family, taking an approach to their loss dictated by their faith, chose to make peace with both Heatley and his parents In Los Angeles an unexpected pregnancy sparks a daring plan of escape for a brutally battered wife. Jessica Ramsey fakes her death and flees to Tennessee to build a new life for herself and her unborn son. But nobody fools Cole Ramsey twice. Five years later, a chance encounter has destroyed Jessica's carefully cultivated anonymity. She thought at first Cole had found her, but it was his twin, Alex, who unwittingly unmasked her charade. Now she must trust him to save her from Cole's wrath. But the twins are bound by blood. Will it prove stronger than the fragile relationship building between Alex and Jessica? Or will a third time be a deadly charm?