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Lightning eases his pain

The injuries that caused Brian Bradley to leave on bad terms still remain. But his bitterness toward the organization has healed.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 20, 2001

Brian Bradley will stand on the ice tonight at the Ice Palace, hear the cheers from the crowd and remember.

He will remember the heights he achieved as the Lightning's first star, its scoring leader for the first four seasons and its only 40-goal scorer.

He will remember the thrill of the 1995-96 playoff season. He will remember, and he will wish, again, that he was still playing.

"I would play," Bradley said, "in 10 seconds."

Bradley and seven other former players will be honored before the Lightning's game against the St. Louis Blues in a ceremony that introduces them as the Tampa Bay chapter of the NHL Alumni Association.

Bradley, 36, lives in Tampa. He retired in September 1999, almost two years after he played his last game, Nov. 6, 1997, against the Los Angeles Kings. He was checked into the boards and sustained a concussion, the effects of which he still feels.

The daily headaches are less severe, he said Monday, and are more of "an annoyance." Flying in a plane makes them worse.

He said doctors have told him the only thing that will heal the problem is time. So he has comfortably settled into the role of being a husband to Carrie, his wife of 10 years, and a father to their children: Brianne, 8 next week; Cody, 6; and Trey, 4.

"There's so much to do," he said of his kids' interests, "soccer, hockey, baseball. We're busy three, four, five nights a week."

Bradley's appearance also marks a mending of fences with his former team.

Two months after the concussion, he had surgery on his right wrist. Two pins were inserted to stabilize the joint.

Bradley was outspoken about the medical care and the way the team helped him deal with the career-threatening injuries. He once went on a local radio station to air his grievances.

Bradley said Monday that he never filed a formal grievance with the team or the players association. He wants to move on. "That happened with the old management; that happened three, four years ago now," he said. "There's no question it wasn't handled properly, but this is a new management. It has nothing to do with what happened to me.

"I'd like to stay here and say stuff, but it's not going to help one way or another. It's over now. I really don't have anything negative to say about the organization."

Bradley wants to work for the Lightning in a public relations capacity.

"This year is at the end now, but I'd like to do something coming into the new season," he said.

The Lightning is trying to cultivate a link to its past. The hiring of former general manager Phil Esposito as a radio color analyst was the first step; the alumni association is the next.

"I think this means a lot to him," Carrie said of her husband. "It was a really nice thing for them to come back. (Hockey) is all he's ever done."

"I wish I could play today," Bradley said. "I just turned 36, and I still think could play a few more years. Everywhere I go there are lots of places people ask me about a comeback and playing. I'd love to, but I can't."

He can wish, though, like he will do tonight.

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