Former Owen Sound Attack forward Joey Hishon returned to hockey on Tuesday night, playing for the Lake Erie Monsters in the American Hockey League.
For those who followed Joey Hishon over the past two years, the return was a triumph, certainly on a personal level, even if the Marlies beat the Monsters 4-2.
On May 21st, 2011, Hishon was felled by a cheap shot elbow delivered by Kootenay’s Brayden McNabb in the opening game of the Memorial Cup Tournament at Mississauga. There’s no other way to describe the blow.
As hideous as the cheap shot was, the incident was compounded by the minimal one game suspension for McNabb, and by the rationalization of the elbow by Kootenay and their followers.
Kootenay Coach Kris Knoblauch explained the size differential between the players unfortunately put Hishon’s head in the area of McNabb’s elbow.
Cody Eakin of the Ice believed Hishon was faking.
And the Kootenay broadcaster, with complete conviction, informed me it was actually the contact with Liam Heelis of the Attack on his way to the bench that felled Hishon.
Listening to Joey Hishon’s post game thoughts following his return on Tuesday, he’s put that behind him and after a very long road, he’s back doing what he loves, likely what he does best and the hope is the future in hockey is 10 times longer than the absence he was forced to deal since May of 2011.
I’m Fred Wallace