Some rather sad news from the hockey world popped up late Tuesday evening, as it was confirmed that Bobby Ryan was arrested at the Nashville International Airport on Monday.
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Ryan, who has been very open about his struggles with alcohol addiction in the past, was reported to have taken items from an airport store without paying. He is said to have then proceeded to leave those items on a counter before entering Little Harpeth Brewing, where police officers found him ordering a drink. He was said to be very intoxicated to the point of not being able to stand on his own, and did not know where he was, nor did he know the date or time. As a result, he was jailed for public intoxication.
This is an extremely unfortunate circumstance as it had appeared that Ryan was doing well battling his demons. The 35-year-old took an extended break from the Ottawa Senators in 2019-20 in order to seek treatment for his addiction, and was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy that very same year as a result.
Though he did not play in the 2021-22 season, Ryan has yet to officially retire. The 2005 second overall pick last suited up in the 2020-21 season with the Detroit Red Wings, where he managed to score seven goals and 14 points in 33 games. Unfortunately, a lack of foot speed took away from his great skill, and resulted in his totals dipping in his final few seasons in the league. At his prime, he was one of the more talented players in the game, proven by the fact he scored north of 30 goals in four straight seasons from 2008-2012.
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, stories like these are never fun to cover. Alcoholism is never an easy battle to fight, and despite this setback, Ryan deserves a ton of credit for sharing his brave story which has helped so many others out there. Hopefully he is able to overcome this incident and can get back on the right path in the near future.
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