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Ramage charged in Magnuson accident
Canadian Press
12/16/2003
TORONTO (CP) - Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Rob Ramage was charged with impaired driving and dangerous driving Tuesday as family and friends of Keith Magnuson mourned the former NHL defenceman's death in a three-car crash.
Magnuson, 56, a former Chicago Blackhawk, was a passenger in the car Ramage was driving back from a funeral in Bolton, Ont., north of Toronto, on Monday when it suddenly veered into oncoming traffic, police said.
``It's quite devastating,'' said Brian Helberg, the two-term mayor of Wadena, Sask., Magnuson's birthplace.
``The coffee shop has quite a hum to it there with sadness, but it's something we're going to have to deal with.''
The passenger side of Ramage's Chrysler Intrepid bore the brunt of the impact with an oncoming SUV, which spun into a neighbouring lane where it was clipped by a third car.
Magnuson was pronounced dead at the scene while Ramage was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery for a dislocated hip, said York police spokeswoman Kathleen Griffin.
Ramage, 44, was initially charged with impaired operation causing death, which carries with it a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Later Tuesday, a dangerous driving causing death charge was added, which has a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
``The second charge is a result of evidence we continue to accumulate in our investigation,'' said York Region Const. Steve Morrell.
Ramage was released from police custody on a $100,000 bail order during a show-cause hearing inside the William Osler Health Centre in west-end Toronto late Tuesday. He remains there under medical care.
A publication ban on all evidence was also imposed during the hearing.
Ramage will appear in a Newmarket, Ont., provincial court on Jan. 15.
Morrell said investigators were still trying to determine how fast the cars were going when the crash occurred. Roads were wet but not icy and visibility was clear.
The impact destroyed the entire front end of the SUV, whose driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Ramage's car, meanwhile, was rendered an unrecognizable hunk of twisted steel.
Another woman from a different vehicle was in hospital with non-life threatening injuries, while both occupants of a third car that was involved in the crash were uninjured, police said.
Ironically, Ramage and Magnuson had been attending the funeral of NHL Alumni Association chair Keith McCreary, who died last week after a battle with cancer.
Magnuson was the association's past chair while Ramage is vice-chair.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada estimates that between 1,500 and 1,700 people are killed each year in impaired-driving accidents in Canada.
The tragedy came less than three months after Atlanta Thrashers centre Dan Snyder died from injuries he suffered when friend and teammate Dany Heatley crashed his Ferrari into a brick wall at high speed. Alcohol was not a factor in that crash.
And it added Magnuson's name to a growing list of NHL players, stars and journeymen both, whose lives have been cut cruelly short by violent crashes.
They include Michel Briere, a former Pittsburgh Penguins rookie of the year who died in 1971; Tim Horton of the Buffalo Sabres, who was killed in a crash in 1974; and Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Pelle Lindberg, who died in 1985.
Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford, who lost veteran defenceman Steve Chiasson to a car crash in 1999, said there's no reason to think all hockey players live dangerous lives.
``I'm not sure we do think as athletes that we're invincible; it's just part of our society,'' Rutherford said in an interview.
``What it does is it reminds us all of the value of life, and it brings all the people around this person, brings them closer together. It's a reminder of what we really have.''
Magnuson, who moved to Saskatoon as a small boy, played in 589 games over 11 seasons, all of them with the Blackhawks.
A rugged defenceman, he played in Chicago from 1969 to '80 and coached the team for 1 seasons.
He collected just 14 goals and 125 assists but amassed 1,442 penalty minutes and was an intimidating presence on the Hawks blue-line. Magnuson played in the 1971 and 1972 all-star games.
In 1984 Magnuson was named to the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame and was added to the Saskatoon Hall of Fame in 1990. He was named to Chicago's 75th anniversary team three years ago.
Ramage played in 1,044 games in the NHL from 1979 to 1994, registering 139 goals with 425 assists. The native of Byron, Ont., captained the Maple Leafs from 1989 to 1991.
He also played for the Colorado Rockies, St. Louis, Calgary, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Montreal and Philadelphia.
In Wadena, Magnuson's friends and fans alike spent much of Tuesday busily rummaging through collections of old hockey cards and other memorabilia to give to the local newspaper.
Farmer Lawrence Haskey, 59, remembered Magnuson as a hockey-mad boy who was always willing to come back to Wadena from time to time and help out local causes and charities.
``He had left us many years ago, but when we got to see him playing on the ice on Hockey Night in Canada, we were all impressed that a local guy from Wadena could get up that high,'' Haskey said.
Professional hockey has changed a great deal since those days, and the lavish lifestyle has probably encouraged more than a few players to live life near the edge, he added.
``The money has changed the whole picture,'' Haskey said.
``At one time, a hockey player was just glad to get his name in lights and to heck with the contract, but now it's money that's pushing all of this.''
Canadian Press
12/16/2003
TORONTO (CP) - Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Rob Ramage was charged with impaired driving and dangerous driving Tuesday as family and friends of Keith Magnuson mourned the former NHL defenceman's death in a three-car crash.
Magnuson, 56, a former Chicago Blackhawk, was a passenger in the car Ramage was driving back from a funeral in Bolton, Ont., north of Toronto, on Monday when it suddenly veered into oncoming traffic, police said.
``It's quite devastating,'' said Brian Helberg, the two-term mayor of Wadena, Sask., Magnuson's birthplace.
``The coffee shop has quite a hum to it there with sadness, but it's something we're going to have to deal with.''
The passenger side of Ramage's Chrysler Intrepid bore the brunt of the impact with an oncoming SUV, which spun into a neighbouring lane where it was clipped by a third car.
Magnuson was pronounced dead at the scene while Ramage was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery for a dislocated hip, said York police spokeswoman Kathleen Griffin.
Ramage, 44, was initially charged with impaired operation causing death, which carries with it a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Later Tuesday, a dangerous driving causing death charge was added, which has a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
``The second charge is a result of evidence we continue to accumulate in our investigation,'' said York Region Const. Steve Morrell.
Ramage was released from police custody on a $100,000 bail order during a show-cause hearing inside the William Osler Health Centre in west-end Toronto late Tuesday. He remains there under medical care.
A publication ban on all evidence was also imposed during the hearing.
Ramage will appear in a Newmarket, Ont., provincial court on Jan. 15.
Morrell said investigators were still trying to determine how fast the cars were going when the crash occurred. Roads were wet but not icy and visibility was clear.
The impact destroyed the entire front end of the SUV, whose driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Ramage's car, meanwhile, was rendered an unrecognizable hunk of twisted steel.
Another woman from a different vehicle was in hospital with non-life threatening injuries, while both occupants of a third car that was involved in the crash were uninjured, police said.
Ironically, Ramage and Magnuson had been attending the funeral of NHL Alumni Association chair Keith McCreary, who died last week after a battle with cancer.
Magnuson was the association's past chair while Ramage is vice-chair.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada estimates that between 1,500 and 1,700 people are killed each year in impaired-driving accidents in Canada.
The tragedy came less than three months after Atlanta Thrashers centre Dan Snyder died from injuries he suffered when friend and teammate Dany Heatley crashed his Ferrari into a brick wall at high speed. Alcohol was not a factor in that crash.
And it added Magnuson's name to a growing list of NHL players, stars and journeymen both, whose lives have been cut cruelly short by violent crashes.
They include Michel Briere, a former Pittsburgh Penguins rookie of the year who died in 1971; Tim Horton of the Buffalo Sabres, who was killed in a crash in 1974; and Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Pelle Lindberg, who died in 1985.
Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford, who lost veteran defenceman Steve Chiasson to a car crash in 1999, said there's no reason to think all hockey players live dangerous lives.
``I'm not sure we do think as athletes that we're invincible; it's just part of our society,'' Rutherford said in an interview.
``What it does is it reminds us all of the value of life, and it brings all the people around this person, brings them closer together. It's a reminder of what we really have.''
Magnuson, who moved to Saskatoon as a small boy, played in 589 games over 11 seasons, all of them with the Blackhawks.
A rugged defenceman, he played in Chicago from 1969 to '80 and coached the team for 1 seasons.
He collected just 14 goals and 125 assists but amassed 1,442 penalty minutes and was an intimidating presence on the Hawks blue-line. Magnuson played in the 1971 and 1972 all-star games.
In 1984 Magnuson was named to the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame and was added to the Saskatoon Hall of Fame in 1990. He was named to Chicago's 75th anniversary team three years ago.
Ramage played in 1,044 games in the NHL from 1979 to 1994, registering 139 goals with 425 assists. The native of Byron, Ont., captained the Maple Leafs from 1989 to 1991.
He also played for the Colorado Rockies, St. Louis, Calgary, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Montreal and Philadelphia.
In Wadena, Magnuson's friends and fans alike spent much of Tuesday busily rummaging through collections of old hockey cards and other memorabilia to give to the local newspaper.
Farmer Lawrence Haskey, 59, remembered Magnuson as a hockey-mad boy who was always willing to come back to Wadena from time to time and help out local causes and charities.
``He had left us many years ago, but when we got to see him playing on the ice on Hockey Night in Canada, we were all impressed that a local guy from Wadena could get up that high,'' Haskey said.
Professional hockey has changed a great deal since those days, and the lavish lifestyle has probably encouraged more than a few players to live life near the edge, he added.
``The money has changed the whole picture,'' Haskey said.
``At one time, a hockey player was just glad to get his name in lights and to heck with the contract, but now it's money that's pushing all of this.''