Bobby Ryan Autographed Card

Sometimes a Cinderella story just seems to write itself... over 100 days after self-entering the NHL/NHLPA's substance abuse program for alcohol dependency, Bobby Ryan made his home return for the Ottawa Senators and in his second game back started with a Gordie Howe hat trick and turned it into a regular one.

I don't know if I buy in as much of the BFR love as Silver Sevens has, but I do agree he, as a human being and a person, has lived up to what it means to be an honest professional hockey player. As far as his contract, cap hit and production goes, I understand that being selected second-overall after Sidney Crosby and ahead of Anze Kopitar (11th), Paul Stastny (44th), Kristopher Letang (62nd), Marc-Édouard Vlasic (35th) - and even to some extent Carey Price (5th), Tuukka Rask (21st), Jonathan Quick (72nd) and Ben Bishop (85th) - comes with pressure and expectations, but the fact of the matter is that he's missed some 60 games to injury and another 50 to dealing with his off-ice problems, he's still sixth of his draft year in points, slightly ahead of a very good goal-scorer in James Neal, and he's fourth in goals (behind Crosby, Kopitar and Neal), just ahead of Stastny, and a season's worth of putters ahead of the likes of T.J. Oshie and Patric Hornqvist.

Again: Bobby Ryan was raised in a violent household that was so messed up that he went through a name change so his father could escape jail for a while, was heavily criticized by Team USA GM Brian Burke and left off the 2014 Olympic team despite helping his country win silver in 2010, lost his mother just as he was finding his game in the Canadian capital, battled through criticism from the press because of his cap hit and still had three 30-goal NHL seasons and was a key part in taking the Sens to overtime of Game 7 of the 2016-17 Eastern Conference Final (with the psychological help/acumen of then-head coach Guy Boucher).

There are no two ways about it: his story has been one of trials and success. He is not a "bust".

Unfortunately, he's about to exit his prime having spent a fair chunk of it hurting his body off the ice as much as on it, and when the Senators become competitive again, he may have to ride the young stars' coattails instead of helping lead the way through his play, but with the way his story has gone, at least he may be there to see it through, unlike Ottawa-born Jean-Gabriel Pageau, unfortunately.

Here's Ryan wearing the same uniform he got his comeback hat trick in, Ottawa's red (home) one, on card #171 from the 2018-19 O-Pee-Chee set by Upper Deck:

He signed it in blue sharpie after a Senators practice last season.