A Season of Loss, a Lifetime of Forgiveness: The Dan Snyder and Dany Heatley Story

by John Manasso

Dan Snyder narrowly escaped being cut from his junior hockey team for two years in a row. That’s hardly the stuff that NHL careers are made of. But Snyder earned his spot on the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers roster through sheer force of will and strength of character, even though scouts thought the odds were against him. Those who knew Snyder describe him as the kind of person others naturally gravitated towards. One of those people was Dany Heatley, college star, All-Star, and marked one of the nhl’s next great players. On September 29, 2003, while driving down a treacherous Atlanta road with Snyder, Heatley lost control of his car. Snyder was injured, and died in hospital six days later. The lives of his family, friends, and teammates changed forever, as they searched for meaning and healing. Meanwhile, authorities in Atlanta charged Heatley with vehicular homicide. Snyder’s family, however, took a path of forgiveness and reconciliation — a path that is ingrained in the Mennonite tradition from which they hail. While some might lash out against an easy target, the Snyders invited Heatley and his parents into their lives in an effort to make peace with their grief. This paperback edition contains an afterword by the Snyder family.

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction, Biography

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2005

Reviews

[Justin Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buying this book from Barnes & Noble, i wasn't exactly sure what to expect considering that i never have really heard of either Dan Snyder & Dan eatley, but i definitely have come to know a portion of who they were/are as people after reading this book. The Title of this book @ first threw me off, but obviously it became obvious as to what it meant after a while. I can't imagine what either the Snyders or the Heatley family must of gone through in the ensuing months after the death of Dan Syder. I also can't imagine what kind of burden or heavy cross Dan Heatley has to carry for the rest of his life knowing what he knows. I am however thankful for the Snyder family forgiving Heatley for what happened. Now whether or not it was because of their Mennonite background or if it was just part of their character in general. After reading this book, i have come to quasi understand that you don't necessarily have to be the biggest, loudest or brashest player on a team to be remembered, you just have to give it your all, leave nothing behind and hope that when its your time to go, that you'll be remember for being a team leader, or a shining example of what it means to be a real man

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dany Heatley and Dan Snyder were teammates with the NHL Atlanta Thrashers in the early 2000s. Heatley was a top draft pick, expected to be one of if not the next big NHL star. Snyder was a "plumber", a fourth-line player who had to work hard to even make any team he tried out for, but who was a favorite of his teammates for his work ethic and positive attitude. The two Dans became fast, if somewhat unlikely friends. Everything changed one night when they got into Heatley's Ferrari, and, travelling at night on an unfamiliar road, Heatley crashed the car. He suffered injuries that kept him out of the lineup for a couple of months. But Snyder was killed. This book is about this friendship, this accident, and the incredible strength of Snyder's family, people of Mennonite background, who determined from the day of Snyder's death that they would forgive Heatley and support him through his grief and guilt. This is a powerful story, and it is fairly well told by Manasso, an Atlanta journalist. I often find when newspaper journalists attempt to write a book, it can sometimes come out a little disjointed, like a series of articles and columns rather than a book that flows. There is a bit of that here, but overall he does a wonderful job focusing on the many aspects of this tragic yet inspiring story. You don't have to be a hockey fan to be moved by this book.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story itself is a heavy one to absord. From start to finish I was reminded of the impacts to friends and family of this tragedy. The values of the Snyder family revealed in the wake of their son's death were quite inspiring and that aspect of the story will likely stick with me for some time. On a personal level, I learned that the Snyder family grew up and live not far from where I did. As far as the book goes, I thought there were far too many quotes included - it seemed that about a third of the book was a quote from one of the characters. This interrupted the flow and made it a bit arduous to follow the events of the story. Nonetheless, an impactful read.

[Teebz Hbic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for A Season fo Loss, a Lifetime of Forgiveness can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little more than ten years ago, the life of Dany Heatley was forever changed, and it had major consequences for not only him, but also the lives of Graham and LuAnn Snyder, parents of the deceased Dan Snyder, their friends and family, and the Atlanta Thrashers organization. John Manasso documents the events pertaining to the crash in an Atlanta neighborhood on the evening of September 29, 2003 and how it has affected those who knew Snyder the best.

A Season of Loss, A Lifetime of Forgiveness focuses mainly on Snyder and how his family has found the ability to forgive Heatley all the while finding a way to hold him accountable in ways that the justice system couldn't do. For the book, Manasso takes the time to talk to the Snyders, mainly Graham, LuAnn, and brother Jake, Dan Snyder's former teammates with the Orlando Solar Bears (Snyder won a championship with them in 2000) and the Chicago Wolves (the Thrashers' affiliate at the time), and those whose lives he had touched. Manasso also makes note that while Heatley did not have a say in the book, it was not for trying, as he is careful to note that he did ask for an interview with both Dany and Murray Heatley, only to have the request never answered. The book is not just about the struggles that the Snyders had in coping with the loss of a son, it's also about their ability to forgive, with a fair portion of it being due to their Mennonite upbringing, something that is mentioned in detail. Towards the end, the trial of Heatley was also mentioned, and Manasso does a good job of recounting some of the events of the trial, as well as the evidence that may or may not have figured into the decision. The lone flaw that I saw with the book was that there wasn't much mention of the Snyders' reaction to when Heatley requested and got a trade in 2005.

In all, A Season of Loss, a Lifetime of Forgiveness is a book that while it is hockey related, it is also one that I believe sends a positive message of forgiveness in the face of tragedy and is a fairly easy read for a 260 page book.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing insight into the struggles of the Snyder family. If everyone was as strong and forgiving as this family, we'd have world peace

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was a great story, it was just not put together correctly. the writer jumped around way too much and had no consistency in telling Dan Snyder's story.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly emotional, powerful book that I recommend to all hockey fans, especially if you're familiar with the Snyder/Heatley accident.