As a long-time conditioning coach in the minors, Mike Thompson got to see everything hockey players had to offer. The gamut, from great to grim, from mind-blowing skills to self-destructive substance abuse.



Occasionally, all of it in a single soul.



“Some guys get it and get out of it,” Thompson said of addictive behaviour. “Some guys don’t.”



Which is to say that Thompson is no stranger to wasted opportunity. He appreciates sobriety. He appreciates the path.



And, more than most, he understands Micheal Ferland.



“You know what? He’s a miracle. One of those miracles of recovery,” Thompson said. “He knew his life was spiralling out of control and he wanted to play in the NHL. He wanted to have a future.



“He didn’t want to be that guy (who blew it).”



Ferland, as everyone knows by now, overcame steep challenges to become a mainstay with the Calgary Flames. The...