Christmas Disease claimed NHL and Olympic dreams

I'm going to bet you did not know there was a serious ailment called Christmas disease.

No, it's not some sort of rash brought on by holly. You can't catch it by standing too long under mistletoe, or by drinking too much eggnog. And no, it has nothing to do with the stress symptoms you feel from visiting the in-laws and the soon-to-come credit card statements.

Actually, it is a pretty rare and a very serious blood disorder. In the 1980s, the disorder ended the career of this NHL 1st round pick and Olympic hopeful.

That's not the only new international addition here at Greatest Hockey Legends. You can also read about Max Birbraer, who in 2000 became the first Israeli hockey player drafted by the National Hockey League. And you can read about Jiri Dudacek, the 1st ever Czech 1st round draft choice in NHL history. He was a superstar that was never released, hidden to prevent any possibility of defection, and derailed by injuries.