‘NEW LIFE’ BEGINS
Ex-Canuck Kassian says he has given up drinking, knows this is his last chance
“In no sense am I cured or fixed. But I have a good foundation to build off going forward.”
BAKERSFIELD — Zack Kassian’s first shift as a Bakersfield Condor was something to behold.
Ryan Holt, the play-by-play voice of the new AHL franchise, had the pleasure of being the man to call it.
“It all began when Kellen Jones lost an edge on his skate blade stepping on the ice for the opening faceoff. He hopped off the ice. Another guy jumps on the ice. And it all happened so fast that nobody informed the referee,” Holt said.
A starting lineup violation was called. Kassian was called upon to serve the penalty.
It’s the first game of Kassian’s return to hockey and the storied villain is in the penalty box before the opening faceoff.
“When the penalty expired, Zack had a scoring opportunity and then laid out Kyle Stollery in the corner,” Holt said. “Coming back to centre, John McCarthy said a couple words to him and Zack didn’t back down. They started pushing and shoving like you see nowadays and the crowd was going bonkers. The fans kind of got to see what Zack brings, what he’s all about, all on the first shift.”
In Kassian’s second game the next night in Stockton, he scored the Condors’ only goal in a 3-1 loss.
“It felt pretty good to get that goal,” Kassian said. “It was my first goal of the season and the first goal of my new life.” New life, indeed. This is, he admits, “last call” for his hockey career.
Kassian put it all out there in a halfhour interview this week. He identified his substance abuse problem as alcoholism. He identified himself as an alcoholic. He revealed he spent his time in the NHL’s program at a facility in Malibu, Calif.
Before the season began, Kassian broke his nose and busted his foot in a crash involving a 20-year-old girl driving and an 18-year-old girl as passenger. He was under the influence when the vehicle hit a tree in Montreal at 6:30 a.m.
Suspended without pay by the Canadiens, Kassian was placed in Stage Two of the NHL program and traded to Edmonton for goalie Ben Scrivens when he came out.
“Where I was before all this happened wasn’t in a good place,” Kassian said. “It was tough emotionally, mentally and even physically. It was draining. And I say that not looking for any sympathy from anyone. I put in a lot of work the last three months. I really think I’m leaving there as a different person.
“I’m leaving with a lot of knowledge about alcoholism and I’m ready to take the next step forward. In no sense am I cured or fixed. But I have a good foundation to build off going forward.” Has he stopped drinking, period? “Yes,” he said. “Yes. “The one thing they stressed to us was one day at a time. It’s kind of overwhelming for a 24-year-old to even think 20 or 30 years from now. But the answer is yes.” There’s also the financial factor. Kassian is on a $1.75 million-ayear contract. If he screws up again, there’s no Edmonton Oilers. One more strike and he’s out. Zero dollars.
“There’s quite a bit of motivation,” he admits. “I’m really looking to turn the corner. The one thing I believe throughout all this is that it has really built my character.
“It’s something that I had to go through to get it. Finally. Sadly. But I’m very confident that I do have a grasp on it and I am moving forward.”
Kassian says he absolutely, completely, totally understands this is it.
“Most definitely this is my last chance,” he said.
It’s also a beyond-belief great chance considering the opportunity to play with centres like Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or his old Windsor Spitfire Memorial Cup linemate, Taylor Hall.
I really want to turn my life around and I really want to make this home,” he said of Edmonton. “I really want to prove a lot of people wrong. But most of all I want to prove to myself that I can do this — that I can change around.
“I’ll be very proud when I do this and a lot of my friends and family will be proud. That’s what I’m most striving to do. And to get a chance to do it with the Oilers organization, that’s just a bonus.”
In 198 games in the NHL, the first few with the Buffalo Sabres and the rest with the Vancouver Canucks, he scored 35 goals and put up 66 points with 307 minutes of penalties.
Throughout this whole process there’s a lot of self-discovery involved and one of the biggest discoveries Kassian made was how much he loves this game.
“As you not only go through the program but also do it during the first half of a hockey season, you have a lot of alone time. That’s when you realize what you love to do, what makes you happy. Once I got some clarity it was first, family, and then hockey. When you have something taken from you for a period of time and you don’t know if you’re going to get it back, it’s scary. It’s very scary.
“It really hits home. It really digs deep and makes you realize that you are the problem. You can point the fingers anywhere you want but that going forward it’s going to be your actions, not words, that are going to speak louder than anything else.
“That’s what I told Peter,” he said of Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli. “I have to show him. Every day. Day by day.”
— Zack Kassian