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Rangers' Blackburn announces retirement
9/25/2005 10:00:29 PMNEW YORK (Ticker) - Due to nerve damage in his left shoulder, New York Rangers goaltender Dan Blackburn announced his retirement on Sunday.
Blackburn, New York's first-round pick in 2001, suffered the injury prior to training camp in 2003 and missed the entire 2003-04 season. He underwent nerve exploration surgery on his left shoulder on March 31, 2004 and attempted to return to the ice.
On February 1, Blackburn joined the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL and posted a 3-9-0 record with a 3.54 goals-against average in 12 games.
But in New York's recent training camp, Blackburn also suffered a strained MCL in his left knee on September 15.
"It just seemed like the right thing to do," Blackburn said before Sunday's preseason game against Boston. "I wasn't feeling comfortable with the way it was going."
"Danny has worked extremely hard over the last two seasons to do everything in his power to get his shoulder to a point where he would be able to play," Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather said in a statement. "We are all very disappointed for him, knowing the effort he put in and the tremendous future he had. He is an exceptional athlete and a courageous young man and we wish him well."
In 63 NHL games, the 22-year-old Blackburn was 20-32-4 with a 3.22 GAA.
On October 10, 2001, Blackburn became the fifth-youngest goaltender to appear in an NHL contest at 18 years, 143 days. Five days later, he became the third-youngest goalie in league history to record a win and second youngest in Rangers' history when he recorded a 2-1 victory in his native Montreal.
Beechey called up by Baby Leafs
ST. JOHN'S (CP) - Tyler Beechey has been called up by the AHL's St. John's Maple Leafs from the ECHL's Pensacola Ice Pilots.
The Edmonton-born centre had 65 points for Pensacola, one behind league leader Scott Gomez of the Alaska Aces, after scoring three goals in a 5-3 win over the Columbia Inferno on Sunday.
Beechey will join the Maple Leafs for their game Wednesday in Grand Rapids, Mich.
VICTORIA (CP) - Dan Blackburn, whose goaltending career was interrupted by a shoulder injury, is attempting a comeback without using a catching mitt.
He hurt himself lifting weights during the New York Rangers' NHL training camp in the autumn of 2003. Nerves were damaged in his left shoulder, and he still has limited movement in his arm despite surgery in March 2004.
So, the 21-year-old goalie wears a blocker on each hand to stop pucks for the ECHL's Victoria Salmon Kings.
He can't rotate his left arm quickly enough to snare shots with a mitt as he once did so expertly. In wearing a blocker on the hand, he deflects pucks into the corner of the rink instead of trying to catch them.
Vancouver Island's Bear Mountain Arena is a long way from Manhattan's Madison Square Garden.
Blackburn was Canadian major junior hockey goalie of the year in 2001 with the Kootenay Ice and the Rangers used their first pick, 10th overall, in the entry draft to get him that year. They signed him to a multimillion-dollar NHL contract.
The Rangers used the agile six-footer in 31 games in 2001-2002 and in 32 games in 2002-2003. It looked as if he'd be a Garden fixture for years to come. Then came the freak injury, and he didn't appear in a game again until earlier this month with the Salmon Kings.
His ultimate aim is to return to the NHL and he says his incentive to do so is greater than it was when he was originally drafted because it would be ultra satisfying to overcome what he's battling now.
Because he was injured, he was drawing his $850,000 US salary during the lockout but he gave that up to attempt the improbable comeback.
Beechey keeps coming back for more
NEIL STEVENS, CP
Tyler Beechey has been emotionally high-checked by a lot of hockey teams, and he keeps coming back for more. No NHL team would draft him, his junior team traded him at the start of a season that ended with a Memorial Cup celebration, and he was dropped after only three games despite scoring two goals in his first AHL game.
Beechey has been strong enough to shrug it all off and, today, playing for the Pensacola Ice Pilots, he's the ECHL's leading scorer. The 23-year-old centre from Edmonton is one point ahead of NHL veteran Scott Gomez of the Alaska Aces.
Beechey still dreams of playing in the NHL and, in the event that league ends its lockout and seeks replacement players, he'd give it a whirl.
"Anyone in my position would take a chance to play in the NHL," he says from Florida. "If the opportunity was given to me, I'd definitely try to take advantage of it."
He's the team captain for Pensacola coach Dave Farrish.
"He's a no-maintenance kid," says Farrish, the former NHL defenceman. "He never has a bad shift or a bad game.
"He's just a great kid to be around."
Life is full of challenges, and Beechey shrinks from nothing. It'll be tough to hold off Gomez in the scoring race but he's happy to give it a go.
"He's an extremely talented player, but the way things are going with our team lately - we just lost a game after winning 12 in a row - things look pretty good," says Beechey.
The Ice Pilots have the best record in the ECHL.
In 50 games, they've lost only 12 in regulation time and they are first in their division. The Toronto Maple Leafs assign them players and a few come via the Minnesota Wild.
The Ice Pilots are owned by Tim Kerr of Windsor, Ont., the former NHL player (1980-'93) who scored 50 or more goals four times for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Beechey broke a leg when he was 16, which hampered his introduction to major junior hockey with the WHL's Kootenay Ice.
Also, it was difficult for a rookie to get ice time on a talent-laden squad.
Size was a factor, too. He weighed 170 pounds at the time, and NHL teams were looking for bigger men to draft.
"I was disappointed but I wasn't really expecting to be drafted," he said.
"If you're six-four and 220, you'd be picked up but for a guy my size it's important to get a lot of ice time and get points," and that hadn't happened yet.
He was traded to Pensacola and in 2003-'04 he had 60 points for the Ice Pilots.
Now he's the ECHL's leading scorer with 61 points including 24 goals in 50 games.
WHL Bantam Draft Picks and
1 EDM MCCARTHY, STEVE LD TRAIL, BC FEB 03/81
73 EDM WANVIG, KYLE RW CALGARY, AB JAN 29/81
91 EDM FERGUSON, JESSE LD LANGLEY, BC MAY 22/81
163 EDM RIDEOUT, CHAD LW FRUITVALE, BC APR 21/81
1 Edmonton STOLL, JARRET RC JUN 24/82 YORKTON,SK
73 Edmonton GABERT, MICHAEL RD APR 23/82 N.BATTLEFORD, SK
Edmonton PASS
Edmonton PASS
Edmonton PASS
3 Edmonton Blackburn, Dan G May 20/83 Canmore, AB
75 Edmonton Lethbridge Ferguson, Simon RD Jun 4/83 Langley, BC
Edmonton PASS
Edmonton PASS
Edmonton PASS
Edmonton PASS
2. Edmonton Patrik Stefan C Czech Republic
7. Cranbrook Jaroslav Svoboda June 1/80 RW Olomouc Czech. Car 8th Rd (last Import Pick before move to Cranbrook)