It was a gilded moment in time that January of 2004 when three brothers from Thornhill lived the Canadian dream. They were not to know that within a blink it would disappear as dust to an unforgiving wind.
The Moore brothers were a small legend at Harvard University, where Mark, the eldest, and brothers Dominic and Steve became only the sixth threesome from the same family to play on a Division I team at the same time. "We wanted the boys to have fun playing hockey," mom, Anna, said in an interview that day with The Sun. "The trip was more important than the destination."
But the destination didn't appear too shabby either when the NHL's Colorado Avalanche made Steve their second pick in 2001. Dom was the Rangers' third pick in 2000 and Mark already was playing in a Penguins' organization loading up with young talent. Mom and dad got to see Dom and Steve play on Broadway. Then, suddenly the happy cocoon that enveloped them was blown apart in a hurricane of fury, controversy and ill fortune.
Today, only Dominic remains in the NHL, a free agent without a team. Steve became a main character in one of the most vicious altercations in NHL history and almost six years later the legal ramifications linger, as does the after-shock of the brain injuries. While there remain those who believe he will return after his $38 million legal battle against Todd Bertuzzi and the NHL's Canucks is resolved, his lawyer Tim Danson says it will never happen. "It ended his NHL career," says Danson, dismissing speculation that Steve has been working out to make a comeback.
"You have to understand Steve Moore is not an invalid. He can work out at a modest level. He can put on the skates and, in fact, it's part of the legal proceedings that he pushed as far as he could. But you have to remember we're talking about the NHL and if you're compromised 5% you're gone and in this case the doctors are clear that if Steve Moore takes another hit he could be dead or in a wheelchair the rest of his life."
Then, there is Mark. While his brother's career ended in front of thousands of eyes in an NHL rink, and millions more on television, he lost his dream in a cold, empty arena in Wheeling, Virginia, when a teammate's helmet clipped him in the chin during practice.
"I never really retired. I got a concussion early in my second season there. I thought I'd be back in a week and it never went away," Mark said. That was almost six years ago. "It wasn't as dramatic as what happened to Steve but I still can't play hockey."
Mark has become active with ThinkFirst, a national organization for the prevention of spinal and head injuries in hockey. He addressed experts at an international symposium on sports medicine this spring at the University of Western Ontario. And, this autumn, he will release his second book, Making It. It deals with issues parents face trying to balance school and sports. It's a question, with his Ivy League background, that he often is asked and says: "I can't really answer that in five minutes standing in the hallway when their kids come off the ice."
He's now working on a kid's book -- an author born out of necessity. His head injuries took his hockey and a lot of other career options.
"I have a lot of time I can't do anything with because I don't feel well. A book, you've got a long time frame. I can work when I feel good and I don't have a boss saying, 'this is late, you're fired.' "
Steve? "He doesn't have a job," Mark said.
It wasn't supposed to work out this way. Dominic is coming off his best season with the Maple Leafs and Sabres. There were indications that Steve, while far from a star, had a chance to stick with Colorado. Mark had an invitation for 2004 to come to camp with the Canadiens.
"It would've been a good opportunity because (the Penguins) were trading away the Jagrs and Kovalev's and there were just too many good, young players. I wasn't getting the opportunity and I knew I'd get that with the Canadiens ... I thought for sure (the concussion) would be gone."
Instead, what was gone was the dream. Less than two months after that glorious January, Steve was lying in a crumpled heap and Mark was coming to a realization that his world too had dramatically changed.
"He's 30," says Mark of his brother. "Time has just flown by. When it happened he was 25. One minute he's skating down the ice; next thing you know your career is over. It's been very difficult. People saw what happened but they haven't seen a lot of him since and the daily struggle -- not just physically but mentally and psychologically. Trying to cope. Not being able to play anymore when you've spent your whole life getting to that level and then having to refigure and come to terms with what happened and at the same time not being in perfect health."
Mark has a mathematics degree and Steve majored in environmental science at Harvard. Neither has been able to use their degrees.
"With my injury, the way it affects mental exertion is similar to the way it affects you physically. I can't push myself. Working in investment banking or as an actuary like many math majors isn't possible ... you exert yourself, any kind of mental, emotional or physical strain and the symptoms spiral," Mark said. "Everything starts going haywire."
Steve, with the suit pending, cannot discuss his situation but Danson said final motions will be made in a Toronto court Sept. 25 with a trial expected to follow within months. He receives no disability money from the NHL and he turned down Bertuzzi's $350,000 settlement offer.
"All I can tell you is that to the best of my knowledge this matter will only be resolved before a jury," Danson said.
Meantime, the challenge of finding new meaning in life continues. The brothers embarked on a hockey camp four summers ago.
The Ivy League Academy runs for two weeks in August.
"Nobody has ever suggested that Steve Moore is incapable of doing anything," Danson said. "He's able to do certain things but when doctors elevated him to a more elite level workout it got very problematic."
Mark does much of the camp administration with Steve and Dom -- along with guests such as Kevin Weekes and Olympian Jennifer Botterill -- handling instruction.
"I can't play. I can't ride a stationary bike for five minutes," Mark said. "Even walking, I have to stop after a few minutes and let my heart rate go down or I start to feel nauseous and dizzy. Or you get headaches or disoriented ... but you do the best you can."
So, maybe their dream never really dies. Perhaps they just pass it on.
"I can teach the kids," Mark said. "I'm not complaining. A lot of people have worse things happen."
BILL.LANKHOF@SUNMEDIA.CA
