9711080122
DETROIT FREE PRESS
971109
Sunday, November 09, 1997
METRO FINAL
1E
MITCH ALBOM
Copyright (c) 1997, Detroit Free Press
THE BOND BETWEEN PLAYER AND TRAINER
They haven't spoken in months. Not the way most of us speak, anyhow. John
Wharton never really knew what to say when he walked into the hospital room.
He would take a deep breath, then grab Vladimir Konstantinov's hand and muster
the meager optimism left in his heart.
"How ya doin', George?" he would blurt, using the funny nickname the team had
for Vladdie -- George, for Curious George of the children's books.
At first there was nothing.
"How ya, doin', George?" he would ask.
No sound. No movement. Weeks passed. The hand began to squeeze back.
"How ya, doin', George?"
More weeks passed. One day, Vladdie's eyes flickered open. No real focus. But
open. Wharton got an idea.
"I have something for you, George."
The Stanley Cup was carried in, the one the Red Wings and Konstantinov had
captured. It was the first time, the nurses said, that the light behind
Vladdie's eyes clicked on.
"This is why you gotta keep fighting, George," Wharton whispered. "That's why
your name is on this cup. Don't stop."
It has been five months since the limo crash that tore the heart out of this
sports town, when the driver fell asleep at the wheel and wrapped his limo
around a tree on Woodward Avenue, forever changing the lives of Konstantinov
and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov, both of whom suffered serious head
injuries.
People have gone on with their lives. There are no more vigils outside the
hospital. The Wings are into a new season. And today, Konstantinov will be
flown to a rehabilitation center in Florida. It's better for him there, his
wife says. Outdoor weather. Fewer curiosity seekers.
It's a positive step. A good thing. But one man -- who should be relieved that
his burden is being lightened -- is going to miss Vladdie terribly.
Sometimes the worst brings out our best.
The good and the bad
There is no real reason that Wharton, 33, should have tumbled so deeply into
this tragedy. Sure, he's the team trainer, and so, by nature, he gets involved
when players are hurt. But he has a family, too. A wife and two small
children. He has his job, which is time-consuming. He has plenty of good
excuses for fading out of the picture.
Instead, this tragedy has brought out a side of Wharton that even he didn't
know he had. At first, he was like all the guys on the Wings, sleeping in the
waiting room, asking a million questions. But as the others slid back into
their lives, Wharton kept coming. He came all summer. All fall. He came early,
around breakfast, and once the season started, he came in between morning
skates and evening games.
It was Wharton's idea to bring the cup. And it was Wharton's idea, last week,
to bring Sergei and Vladdie down to practice.
"I had joked with Vladdie, saying, 'It's getting tough to keep coming here,
why don't you come down to visit us?' And he lifted his head almost
immediately and shook it. I knew he wanted to go."
Four days later, he was there, at Joe Louis Arena. He was wheeled into the
locker room and seated in front of his locker, which has remained untouched.
The players came by and joked and patted his shoulder. It was tough. There
were tears. Seeing Konstantinov there reminded Wharton of how many times the
player had come to him with injuries -- "from a hangnail to a broken leg."
Now the trainer wished he could hear Vladdie complain about anything.
The fight isn't over
No life is independent. We all affect someone. Five years ago, Wharton took
Konstantinov to his first U.S. rock concert, Guns N' Roses, where they stayed
backstage eating chocolate-covered strawberries and drinking champagne until 7
a.m.
"It was as fun a night as I've ever had in my life," Wharton says.
And maybe something was born that night that has been transformed into
something else. The friendship has been one-sided lately -- Konstantinov
needing, Wharton giving -- but yet, it has grown stronger. So much so, that
the plane that takes Vladdie away today is almost too painful for Wharton to
imagine.
"There's going to be a big hole for me Monday when I go to the hospital and
he's not there," he admits.
Isn't it funny? So many of us try to avoid burdens. But when life grabs you
and throws you into someone else's, you find a reservoir of heart you didn't
know you had.
Wharton plans to visit Konstantinov in Florida during the Olympic break. Maybe
he'll say, "How ya doin', George?" And maybe Vladdie will answer, "Better."
After all, this is hockey. Don't you believe in miracles?
Mitch Albom will sign "Tuesdays With Morrie," 7-8 p.m. Tuesday in main lobby
of Henry Ford Village, Dearborn; noon-2 p.m. Wednesday, Jewish Community
Center, West Bloomfield; and 7-8 p.m. Wednesday, Borders, Farmington Hills.
THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THE PRINTED ARTICLE.
RED WINGS; JOHN WHARTON; VLADIMIR KONSTANTINOV; COLUMN