For the past few years, Vancouver Canucks winger Linden Vey has struggled to find consistency as he tries to put together a solid pro career. The 24-year-old has bounced between the AHL and NHL since the Canucks traded for him back in 2014.
But, in that time, he’s also been dealing with some heavy, far more important off-ice family issues that are grabbing national headlines.
Later this month, Vey’s father Curtis and Curtis’ mistress, Angela Nicholson, are scheduled to go on trial for an alleged conspiracy to murder both of their spouses back in 2013. In some explosive allegations, police allege that Curtis Vey and Nicholson — both in their early 50s — were having an affair and concocted a plan to kill their significant others while disguising it as an accident. Curtis’ wife was to be killed in a house fire, while Nicholson’s husband would die of a drug overdose.
After the arrests were made and the story surfaced, the accusations shook Saskatchewan, including Vey and his family. But, somewhat amazingly, the Canucks forward has refused to place any blame on the ongoing drama for his disappointing play on the ice.
“It changes your life,” Vey said. “Your life is a certain way for so many years and all of a sudden, you wake up one day and it’s totally different.
“But I’m not going to sit here and say it’s part of the reason I’ve had two of the worst seasons of my career.”
Of all the reasons athletes use to explain their underperformance, I think “my father wanted to kill my mother” would rank pretty high on the list of legitimate excuses. But many people within the Canucks organization say Vey isn’t one to make excuses – legitimate or otherwise – and that’s a testament to his own character. The team’s president, Trevor Linden, says Vey has carried himself as “normally as could be expected” throughout the process.
Vey has two siblings and says they “were a super close family” prior to all of this going down. Though he says he doesn’t talk to his father much anymore, Vey is reportedly trying to stay supportive of both parents as the trial looms.
“As much as it is me involved, it’s more about my parents’ situation,” Vey said. “I will be there to support my mother.
“Our family is going to do its best to find its way through it.”
Even if his NHL career doesn’t pan out, you have to give credit to the guy for his incredible ability to take this all in stride and still handle himself professionally. It’s an unimaginable situation to be in, and hopefully Vey gets whatever closure he’s hoping for sometime soon.
(Via The Province)
