http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2008/06/18/a1c_sittler_0618.html
LAKE WORTH — Ryan Sittler walks into the Palm Beach Ice Zone on a recent rainy evening, ready to coach a group of youth hockey players who have no idea that he once-upon-a-time was destined for NHL stardom.
Asked to sit down in his office to recount his painful career as a hockey phenom, Sittler smiles sheepishly and leads his inquisitor to a small storage closet adjacent to the rink.
"The parents know my story better than the kids," Sittler says.
That story should have been the stuff of Hollywood scripts: Son of Darryl Sittler, the most famous captain in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Drafted No. 7 overall in 1992 by the Philadelphia Flyers. Commands a $400,00 signing bonus. Reports to Flyers training camp in the best shape of his life, and ...
Staggers through five professional seasons, mostly in the minors, before retiring in 1999 at age 25, his body ravaged by injuries and painkillers.
This is the time of year when the bad memories start ricocheting around like a loose puck in the crease. The NHL Draft begins Friday in Ottawa, so hockey publications and Web sites are rolling out the obligatory list of biggest busts in draft history.
"It's cool,'' says Sittler, 34.
