I noticed that Freedman is incorporating Arabic words into the article to more closely connect the reader to the reading, which I think is interesting

The author is bringing in context behind the subject, I guess, but I'm not sure why he is incorporating this information.

To further on what Nikita said I think this section here represents what she said. Even though some of them want to take a break whether it's for themselves or other player, they're encouraged to be be committed and push through because it'll "be worth it" when it comes time to play the game.

So I'm not sure if this is a move but to me, these sentences seem to bring to light a lot of emotion and motive. I think it is interesting to see the depth in peoples thoughts and perspectives behind what they do.

The imagery stands out immediately in the article. I think the effect is that it pulls the reader in and makes it more interesting than just saying "he walked into a bakery"

So I read into stuff like this and they are most likely being so hesitant to give out information because more often than not the sport corporations will go out of their way to hire specific doctors that will be more willing to just hand out prescriptions if it means their best players can play in the next game.

This is the first sign that you are not okay, something in your brain is injured and you need to stop. Disassociating is huge in repeat concussions because you can't think long enough to make reactions.

I wonder why he was embarrassed about the addiction. In the previous article they were talking about how everyone was taking painkillers and offering them to each other. I looked up statistics and many hockey players end up addicted to pills at least once, and he reached out to a couple players who he knew struggled.

I can't imagine as a parent, listening to a doctor tell you that your kid developed something like this so young, when it's normally not supposed to occur until much later in life. I can't imagine the guilt someone must feel knowing you let your kid do something so dangerous, knowing what could happen.. are did happen, in this case.

Personally knowing about what happens to people that are struggling with addiction, I know that many are ashamed of admitting to the addiction. When the decide to get help , it's true, they don't say anything. They're just gone for a couple months then return. But I find it interesting that the last line is "It's not that hard to see" if it wasn't hard to see, you knew he was struggling, why did no one say anything? If you're on a team you look out for them, not let them destroy themselves.

I notice that many athletes are like this, anyone who is making a ton of money, actually. They completely turn their lifestyle around just to spend money.

This to me is kind of alarming. This loving guy at home admits that he doesn't have an off switch. Meaning, once he starts he doesn't really know when to stop and I think that's scary. Plus the fact that if he didn't 'win' he took it to heart even though he said "..you can't take it personally" in previous paragraphs

Like Jad said, this establishes the work and play theme we are looking at and this guy put it perfectly. When you're on the ice, yes you are playing a game but this is your work. If you know what is expected of you, you can't really take it personally. If you took it personally, you'd be angry 24/7. They're just doing their job.

This really shows the power of Boogard. The "toughest man" of the NHL was now scared of getting hit by Boogard. This is, again, where the author establishes the monster-like side of Boogard

To work off of what Nick said, I see the connection. But I also see the connection between work and play. He is standing up for his family, his team. It doesn't matter if its on the ice or not, you stand up for them.

I've noticed that some parts in this article sound like sports talk, especially when they talk about Boogard's the players statistics. I think this makes sense because this was in a newspaper so it kind of has to be straight to the point

So through this whole article, the author stops to tell little anecdotes or use anecdotal evidence to show the softer side of Derek. I think he does this to show the audience both sides of Boogard. He creates emotion through this as well.

I have noticed through out even just the first part of this article, that the author is painting a picture of Boogard. He is making it seem like Boogard was an absolute monster. Then he goes on to call him noble and talk about how he was a shy kid and loved his family.

I can imagine it can be hard to love something so much and not be able to actually do the thing he loves. I just find it sad that he knew that he would be fighting people and getting hurt. I think it relates back to when his mom said that he doesn't really think about the consequences of his decisions.

We noticed an appeal to emotion with the use of a comparison between the pain from attending the funerals and working hard on the field. We noticed through the text that there is a them of working through the pain this is shown by describing he many players that have the WTC cough and playing passionately even though they lost their brothers and friends. Nikita and Allyssa

Again, the topic of unity comes back. Funerals are sad enough, let alone when it is someone you know and were close to but you can't let that pain stop your life. You need to learn to move on and be around people that support you and surround yourself with positivity and be a team.

This passage is amazing to me because despite the tragedy, Tom Narducci knows what everyone has gone through but that tragedy is why they can't just replace people and they need to play. They need to be together and unit with strength because they need each other now more than anything, even if they are hurting