With all of the fast and furious deals on the draft floor yesterday, one sad story slipped under the radar.
David Carle, the younger brother of former Hobey Baker winner and Sharks player Matt Carle, was forced to retire from competitive hockey after discovering that a serious heart condition.
Denver recruit David Carle has retired from competitive hockey after doctors discovered a heart abnormality. The condition, known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - or thickening of the heart - can cause sudden cardiac death if there is too much exertion.
Carle also informed Denver coach George Gwozdecky that he would not be able to play. Gwozdecky told Carle that he would honor his scholarship, and make him part of the team.
"Not only are we morally and ethically obliged (to fulfill the scholarship), but we have established, and we try to establish, strong relationships with our student-athletes,'' Gwozdecky told the paper. "And we have had that relationship with the Carles for a long time because of Matt.
It's nice to see that the university will continue to sponsor David's education, and it's certainly good that they discovered this condition early. We certainly do not want another Jiri Fischer near-death incident. Hockey is an intense sport, and requires any athlete in the league to be in top condition.
The interesting aspect to this story is that the abnormality was discovered at the NHL's testing combine, and not during a routine checkup. We never figure the combine would be used to catch something serious like this, but it's good to know that there is a screening process. Hopefully, any future abnormalities can be detected in the same manner.
Two years ago, the NHL experienced one of the scariest on-ice incidents of all time. Jiri Fischer, the strapping young Red Wings defenseman, lay dying near the Wings' bench after suffering cardiac arrest. The incident was so haunting that the NHL was forced to cancel and reschedule the game, which I believe had never happened before. 
