From Substance Abuse to Sobriety Oilers Winger Zack Kassian Turning Life Around
One year ago today, Zack Kassian walked out of a substance abuse treatment facility in Southern California. He was immediately dispatched to just about the most unlikely locale you could imagine to catch last call on his hockey career.
It would be difficult to name a city in the NHL where Kassian was more despised than Edmonton.
When he felled Sam Gagner with a high stick to the face resulting in the Oiler losing four teeth and requiring six screws and a plate to put his mouth back in place, there wasn’t likely a player in the league that the Oilers players and their fans hated more.
After Gagner missed the first 13 games of the season and returned to the lineup in Vancouver, then-Canuck Kassian mocked him for wearing a shield. That put an exclamation mark on it.
It’s been a complete year now since Oilers’ GM Peter Chiarelli shocked the hockey world by making Edmonton the place for Kassian to have his last chance.
If you only watched one game all year ..
