Ryan Salmons Loses His Battle

By: Jeff Little • May 2nd, 2009


The CBJ family lost one of their most ardent and courageous followers yesterday, when Ryan Salmons succumbed to the cancer that he had so valiantly battled for the past year.

Ryan’s death comes just eight days after I saw him in the locker room after the Jackets’ Game 4 elimination at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. Thought the CBJ players were by turns angry and disappointed at the loss, they all took the time to visit with Ryan and his family.

Shown at left with the one day contract with GM Scott Howson “signed” him, Ryan appeared to be thrilled by the attention the Blue Jackets favored him with during these last months, particularly forwards Jason Chimera and Manny Malhotra. Salmons father, Brad, strongly believes that the involvement and caring of the Blue Jackets organization, and the team’s playoff run, gave Ryan something to grab onto and live for each day. According to the Dispatch, Ryan finally asked to be sedated yesterday, and died shortly thereafter.

His saga captured the hearts and minds of not only the Blue Jackets and the Columbus community, but the broader hockey and sports worlds as well, as ESPN and the NHL Network both did recent features documenting his battle.

Hopefully, Ryan and Mr. Mac are seated comfortably together, speculating about the draft, free agency and the season to come. Rest well, Ryan.

About

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A native of the SF Bay Area, my first exposure to hockey was the SF/Oakland/California Golden Seals, including Charlie Finley and the white skates. Fast forward to the late 1980's when Gretzky and the Kings came up to the Bay Area for an exhibition game at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, for which we had glass seats. I was at the first San Jose Sharks game in the Cow Palace, and followed them for their first few pathetic years, before moving to Columbus in 1994. I attended the first pro-NHL rally downtown, and have been a season ticket holder since Day 1, wife & I are active in the Jacket Backers, and son is an avid fan as well. I cover the Jackets for Inside Hockey, and contribute regularly to a variety of hockey sites. I maintain contact with the Jackets organization, and like to dig into stories, bringing a fresh, and sometimes irreverent perspective to hockey.

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