Jaris grief and guilt over Anias death became too much for him to handle. So, a few months after her passing, in the fall and winter of 2007, he shut down in every way imaginable—physically, mentally and emotionally. He virtually locked himself away in his condo on Lake Shore Boulevard West. He rarely showered or shaved. He barely ate. He communicated with no one, not even with his dearest friends or famous NHL clients like Jason Spezza or Brent Burns or their families, whom hed known since theyd come to him as young kids, age 11 for Spezza, age eight for Burns.Jari Byrski just went off the grid and into a deep pit of despair. "I went down, down, down," Byrski said. "It was horrible. My guilt was overwhelming. I wasnt able to do anything, see anyone. There was too much pain to go back to the rink and talk about it, to talk about Ania. I just couldnt cope with the pain."There were many days in that fall and winter of 2007, during what amounted to a four-month moratorium on living, when Byrski thought he would be better off dead. He would go to the apartments solarium, open the door to the balcony and look down the 33 floors to the ground below and wonder if that was all that was left for him. "I cant tell you how many times I said, This is it, Im going to jump. I already felt as though I had died. I already felt as though I had already landed on the ground. I was already dead inside. Ania meant so much to me. I was not comfortable with the guilt I had. All my love could not help her with the cancer. The doctors gave her three months to live; it turned out to be 13 months. But to see her suffer like she did, the last two or three months, it was awful. She wanted to die at home, but I did that all wrong. It was terrible. I had guilt about that. I worked too much when she was alive and healthy. I felt guilt for that. So much guilt, about everything."Byrski isnt sure why he didnt jump off his balcony to end it all, doesnt know exactly what held him back. Hes not even sure why he happened to have the TV on that day after New Years Day in 2008. But there he was, sitting in an almost catatonic daze on his leather couch, seemingly incapable of caring about anything. But then he heard a familiar voice coming from the television, an old friend, talking about Team Canada at the World Junior Championship and, in particular, a goal by Stamkos, who had first come to Byrski for skating and skill instruction when he was just 10 years old.Something twigged inside him."I knew the person who was analyzing the game [on TV], I knew the boy who scored the goal ... I dont know why, because I had no interest in anything, but I took some interest in this, so I kept watching, getting more interested," said Byrski.The Stamkos goal—scored at 2:20 of the third period, the third of Canadas four goals in a 4–3 quarter-final victory over Finland at the 2008 WJC—rekindled a fire within Byrski. Slowly but surely, he started to care again. He was actually inspired. He could feel energy returning to his body and soul. It was during the next few days of that tournament that he went back to one of his great passions in life: painting, expressing himself through art.Byrski painted a picture of Stamkos, his arms aloft after scoring "The Goal," set against a backdrop of a big Canadian flag, with a smaller inset depiction of Stamkos shooting the puck,a gold medal and the flags of the participating countries on little pucks.On the reverse side of the painting, Byrski penned a deeply personal poem, not only as a tribute to Stamkos, who was months away from becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and bona fide pro hockey superstar, but as an expression of gratitude for the young man unknowingly saving a life, his life:You stood at the top of the mountain, Wrapped in a golden and joyful fountain. Admired by the world around, Bringing and sharing the moment with us so profound. With a smile on youthful face,Touching us all in your embrace. Reaching with grace to your dream,Being part of something greater than teams.When your life with that spark,Can bring the light to what was dark,Can bring the feeling of being partOf your talents, gift and open heart.Giving your warmth to the world that became too cold.Thank you . . . Jari.Not long after he completed the painting and inscription, Byrski, back from the brink, met with Stamkos and gave him the painting."I gave it to him, I think it was in February or March," Byrski said, "and it was at that moment I decided Im going back to my life. That was the turning point. There was no looking back. . . . I decided then thats who I am, thats who I have to be."Stamkos was well aware his friend Jari had experienced difficulty dealing with the death of Ania, but never could have imagined the depth of it, how desperate and depressed Jari had become. Stamkos, at age 17, couldnt possibly have known how important the painting and poem were in restoring a shattered life."When I hear that [story] now," Stamkos said, "I get chills thinking about it."Excerpt from Hockey Confidential: Inside Stories from People Inside the Game by Bob McKenzie ©2014. Published by Harper Collins Canada. All rights reserved. Cheap Twins Jerseys China . The 6-foot-10 centre who won an NBA title with the Miami Heat was voted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday, adding that honour to becoming a board member at his alma mater. Cheap Rod Carew Jersey .C. -- With a chance to start over and maybe drive in any series he wanted, Juan Pablo Montoya thought long and hard about what mattered most at this stage of his career. http://www.cheaptwinsjerseys.com/ . -- Zach Johnson is like most players at the World Challenge, not sure whether hes still playing in 2013 or if hes in the middle of the new wraparound season that officially started in October. Cheap Bert Blyleven Jersey . On Saturday, the paths of Drew Tate and Kevin Glenn cross again as opposing quarterbacks. Wholesale Twins Jerseys . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play.There could be some history made on Friday night in Buffalo. Mike Hessman of the Toledo Mudhens needs one more homer to break the all-time International League career home run mark. Before you say "big deal" as I was tempted to do, you should know who Mike Hessman is and how he made this journey over a long and varied career. First off he was born in Fountain Valley, California, and grew into the dimensions of a true slugger. He is 65" and 215 pounds. He was chosen in the 15th round of the 1996 MLB draft by Atlanta. He made it to the "Show" with the Braves in 2003. He had a long looping swing and struck out too much and generally over a short-lived big league career, the 3B/1B also seemed to be stuck behind better players such as Chipper Jones. Besides Atlanta, Hessman also made pit stops in Detroit and with the New York Mets between 2003 and 2010, hitting .188 with 14 home runs. Over time Hessman became a fixture in the International League. Now 36, he has slugged 258 homers in the "I" to tie the late Ollie Carnegie, who spent the bulk of his career playing in Buffalo. Carnegie played his final season with the Bisons in 1945. These two were a study in physical contrasts. While Hessman is 65", Carnegie was only 57" and weighed 175 pounds. Surely the Major League home run record is more impressive and more prestigious. Babe Ruth broke Roger Connors career mark of 138 back in 1921. The Bambino ran that total up to 714 by 1935, and that mark endured until Hank Aaron broke it on April 8, 1974 at Atlanta against Al Downing and the Dodgers. So Babe Ruth held the career home run record for 53 years. Carnegies mark of 258 has stood since the year he retired as a player in 1945. If you do the math, thats 69 years. Oddly enough Carnegie never played in the Majors, largely because he didnt start playing pro ball on a regular basis until he joined Buffalo at age 32 in 1931. Before that he played mainly semi-pro or amateur ball and held down a regular job. Nowadays 258 home runs doesnt sound like all that imposing a number. But remember today, its all about player development. If you dont make the Majors by your mid-20s or maybe late 20s if youre lucky, youre going to be out of a job. You have to have a special talent and be a unique individual, as Mike Hessman must be to stick around until the age of 36. Hessman had a bit of a scare about a week ago. He had to have some tissue removed from his nose and his forehead. Luckily it proved to be non-cancerous. He missed three games this week waiting for the swelling on his face to go down, then went 0-for-3 at Coca-Cola Field on Thurssday afternoon.dddddddddddd Friday night is the series finale at Buffalo and it would only seem fitting that he would hit his 259th homer in the city where Ollie Carnegie spent the bulk of his career and is enshrined in the Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. When Hessman ultimately does break this record, he has other mountains to climb. He is also third on the all-time list of homers hit in the minors. Buzz Arlett is number one with 432, Nick Cullop has 420 and Hessman checks in with 403. Scoring Big Pitching and defence may win championships, but you cant deny the fact that the Blue Jays offence could carry them a long way. Theyve scored 311 runs in 61 games and slugged 87 homers, tops in the American League in both categories. You can add the total home runs for the Royals and Yankees and get 77, 10 fewer than the Jays, or the Rangers and Red Sox and get 85, still two less than the Blue Jays. In the runs scored category, the Jays have rung up 57 more than the second-best team in their division - Baltimore (254) - and then you drop off to Boston and the Yankees at 240 and Tampa Bay at a paltry 228. Boston was the runaway leader in runs scored in the American League last season with 853 and ultimately won the World Series. Im just saying. Unusual Moments This is something that happens so rarely in baseball, yet it happened twice in the last week. The Angels Garrett Richards and Clevelands Justin Masterson both struck out the side on nine pitches. Another oddity came on Wednesday when the Phillies 35-year-old shortstop Jimmy Rollins struck out four times in a game for the first time in his career, earning the famed "Golden Sombrero". The opposing pitcher though was Washingtons Stephen Strasburg, so well cut Rollins some slack. Rollins incidently is up to 2,226 hits now for his career. He needs nine more to pass Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt as the Phillies all-time hits leader. Since the Phils are having such a dismal season, the feeling is growing that Rollins will waive his 10-and-5 rights and will agree to a trade once the record is broken. The Tigers would be a perfect fit. The Atlanta Braves lead the National League East. Yet strangely enough, they have been held to 0 or 1 runs in a game a Major League-high 18 times. At the Draft If youre wondering why the Blue Jays used their ninth-overall pick in the Draft Thursday night to take a pitcher who just had Tommy John surgery in May, consider this. Veteran baseball writer Danny Knobler has seen Jeff Hoffman out of East Carolina pitch and said this of him: "He could be Justin Verlanders brother". Say no more! 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