Former Pro Athletes Continue To Struggle

There was a very interesting article on Gene Carr, the 1970s National Hockey League left winger, as he continues to struggle with the after-effects of his life on the ice

Numbers: Gene Carr used to like numbers – minutes played, goals scored, fights fought. Those were the numbers that carried him through 10 seasons in the NHL. Now he keeps tabs of a different kind – trips to the hospital, pills prescribed, surgeries needed.

By his count, Carr has had three neck operations along with six back surgeries, two knee operations and a hip replacement that had to be redone because the titanium used in the first operation wasn’t strong enough. Not all of those surgeries were done at the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif., close to where Carr lives, but there were enough, he jokes, for the hospital to consider naming a wing after him.

“Gene Carr, Left Wing,” the former Los Angeles King said with a laugh. “Thank goodness I had some health coverage [from his post-hockey career]. A lot of guys down here don’t have anything.”

Here's the full story.