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This article was recently in the Minneapolis Star/Tribune. I like the fact that he was still drafted and Denver University is still going to honor his scholorship....real class organizations.............
FARIBAULT, MINN. -- A Shattuck-St. Mary's senior missed his high school graduation three weeks ago so he could attend the NHL Combine in Toronto.
The decision actually ended his hockey career - but might have saved his life.
David Carle got a physical just like all the other prospective draft picks - and the 18-year-old learned he had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The disease is a rare thickening of the heart muscle that has been associated with cardiac arrest in athletes.
Carle, of Anchorage, Alaska, disclosed his condition and withdrew his name from the 2008 NHL Entry Draft last week.
While the news changed his life, Carle is still upbeat.
"I really am quite fortunate that they were able to find it," Carle said this week from his home in Alaska. "It could have ended a lot more tragically with them pulling me up off the ice in a few years."
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects one out of every 1,000 people, according to information from the Mayo Clinic. The thickening of the heart forces it to beat faster than the average heart to produce the same amount of blood flow to the body. Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis died from the disease.
Carle was considered a solid second or third round selection in the draft after helping lead Shattuck-St. Mary's to its second straight national championship. He receive a scholarship to play at the University of Denver.
Even though Carle withdrew from the draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning used its last pick of the seventh and final round to select him.
"The owner called me ... and just kind of explained to me why they did it. He just told me that I worked too hard, that I worked my entire life to be drafted, and he didn't really see why I shouldn't be. (He said) that I deserved it, and he wanted that to always be by my name," Carle said.
During his time at Shattuck-St. Mary's, a private boarding school in Faribault, Carle was known as a hard worker. He gained 15 pounds before his senior season thanks to a strict workout regimen and regulated diet.
But now with his heart condition, Carle will have to adjust to a new routine.
"Before I was eating six times a day trying to gain as much weight as possible, and now I kind of have to watch that and watch the belt buckle a bit," he said.
The same day Carle withdrew his name, the University of Denver contacted him and informed him the school would still honor his scholarship for all four years, as well as find a position for him to help the team.
"One door closes, but 20 doors just opened as far as what I can do in the next few years. It's kind of cool in that sense," Carle said. "... I'll go down to school and take a few classes, and just kind of see what makes me tick."
FARIBAULT, MINN. -- A Shattuck-St. Mary's senior missed his high school graduation three weeks ago so he could attend the NHL Combine in Toronto.
The decision actually ended his hockey career - but might have saved his life.
David Carle got a physical just like all the other prospective draft picks - and the 18-year-old learned he had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The disease is a rare thickening of the heart muscle that has been associated with cardiac arrest in athletes.
Carle, of Anchorage, Alaska, disclosed his condition and withdrew his name from the 2008 NHL Entry Draft last week.
While the news changed his life, Carle is still upbeat.
"I really am quite fortunate that they were able to find it," Carle said this week from his home in Alaska. "It could have ended a lot more tragically with them pulling me up off the ice in a few years."
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects one out of every 1,000 people, according to information from the Mayo Clinic. The thickening of the heart forces it to beat faster than the average heart to produce the same amount of blood flow to the body. Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis died from the disease.
Carle was considered a solid second or third round selection in the draft after helping lead Shattuck-St. Mary's to its second straight national championship. He receive a scholarship to play at the University of Denver.
Even though Carle withdrew from the draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning used its last pick of the seventh and final round to select him.
"The owner called me ... and just kind of explained to me why they did it. He just told me that I worked too hard, that I worked my entire life to be drafted, and he didn't really see why I shouldn't be. (He said) that I deserved it, and he wanted that to always be by my name," Carle said.
During his time at Shattuck-St. Mary's, a private boarding school in Faribault, Carle was known as a hard worker. He gained 15 pounds before his senior season thanks to a strict workout regimen and regulated diet.
But now with his heart condition, Carle will have to adjust to a new routine.
"Before I was eating six times a day trying to gain as much weight as possible, and now I kind of have to watch that and watch the belt buckle a bit," he said.
The same day Carle withdrew his name, the University of Denver contacted him and informed him the school would still honor his scholarship for all four years, as well as find a position for him to help the team.
"One door closes, but 20 doors just opened as far as what I can do in the next few years. It's kind of cool in that sense," Carle said. "... I'll go down to school and take a few classes, and just kind of see what makes me tick."
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