This isn’t really Red Wings-related, but there are times that remarkable stories require noting, and The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek’s tale of former Wing Jamie Macoun’s recovery from a paralyzed arm suffered during a car accident while playing for the Calgary Flames is damn good:
On his third day in the hospital after a 1987 car crash that almost took his life, Jamie Macoun was visited by a doctor who wanted to talk about amputation.
Even for a free spirit such as Macoun, it was a sobering conversation that immediately grabbed his attention.
“The doctor came up to me and said, ‘We have to have a serious discussion,’” remembered Macoun, who was playing for the Calgary Flames at the time.
“I said, ‘OK, I’ve only had three days of serious discussions since I’ve been in here — but whatever.’ But he said something along the lines of, ‘What do you want to do with your arm?’ And I’m going, ‘What do you mean?’ He says, ‘Well, you’re paralyzed — and the chances of you ever getting use of that arm again are zero.’ He explained that the human body, the damaged nerves, to regenerate even a centimeter, for some people, takes a month or more and the chances of me getting any use of my arm back was zero.
“I’m looking at him, going, ‘I don’t think you understand who I am or what I do. I’m a professional athlete.’ Either I was so stupid or it was just that athletic mentality kicking in, where you think, ‘OK, this is just a setback, but it’s going to come back.’
Continued (paywall; worth your time)
