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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, February 22, 2008 Good times again for former Silvertip Cody Thoring Recovered from an injury that nearly crippled him, former Everett Silvertips captain Cody Thoring is looking forward to continuing his hockey career in Canada. EVERETT -- It was just like old times. There was Cody Thoring, hanging around outside the Everett Silvertips' locker room and standing behind the home bench, chatting with his former teammates on Tuesday. The former Silvertips captain looked right at home strolling about the depths of Comcast Arena. Hard to believe that nearly a year earlier doctors informed Thoring he might never be able to stroll anywhere ever again. He spent the past 10 months recuperating from an injury that nearly ended his hockey career and his ability to walk. But now he's back on track to return to the ice and expects to resume playing in the fall. "Oh man, I'm so thankful," said Thoring, who returned last weekend to visit Everett for a few days. "That first news hit me like a train when the doctor told me I'd never play hockey again. I haven't played in basically a year-and-a-half, but all things considered, I'm glad I'm sitting out a year-and-a-half rather than the rest of my life or sitting in a wheelchair somewhere." Thoring, who spent 31/2 seasons manning the blue line for the Tips, now attends the University of Regina. He's a member of the Cougars men's hockey team, though he played in just six games this season before lingering effects from the injury shut him down. But he's now back to 100 percent health and looking forward to continuing his hockey career in September. "Things are going good. It's busy," Thoring said about college. "I enjoy using my brain again." Smart-aleck reporter: "You mean you don't use your brain playing hockey?" Thoring's laughing response: "It uses it in a different sense. I enjoy school a lot, it's fun." And it's a whole lot more fun when you're healthy, which wasn't always the prospect for Thoring. The entire 2006-07 season didn't go according to plan for Thoring, though it started off well. He was the last remaining original Silvertip, and he was the overage captain of the top-ranked team in the entire Canadian Hockey League. Then a hammer blow: a trade to Moose Jaw in a December deal that also sent Brady Calla and a draft pick to the Warriors in exchange for Jesse Zetariuk and Carter Smith. But that proved minor compared to the adversity to come. On March 2, 2007, Thoring's Western Hockey League career ended when a hit by Tri-City's Aaron Boogaard sent Thoring to the hospital with major back and pelvic injuries. "It was just a freak thing," Thoring said. "It was Aaron Boogaard who hit me and he's hit me a thousand times before. It was in the offensive zone and the puck was rimmed around and I went to pinch -- all D-men do it. I opened myself up, put my back against the boards and tried to squeeze by. He caught my left hip and I kept moving." The hit separated Thoring's pelvis and tore several muscles. He spent 10 days in the hospital, bed-ridden the entire time. "It was terrifying," Thoring recalled. "I got some terrible news in the hospital, that I'd never play hockey again and that I needed spinal surgery and all this stuff." However, a spinal specialist was called in and he determined the injury was less severe than originally diagnosed. "I believe a miracle happened and after 10 days in the hospital they told me to get up and walk home, you're fine," Thoring said. "That's not normal." By June Thoring was walking normal again. By July he was back to his full workout regimen. But he spent August visiting his sister in Europe, and as a result his back didn't regain its strength by the time hockey season began in September. Thoring played six games, scoring two goals, before shutting it down until next season. So while he isn't able to help the Cougars' playoff drive, he was able to come back and visit Everett for the first time since the trade. "It's been amazing, exactly how I remembered it," Thoring said. "The team's changed, the guys are different on the ice, but that's about the only thing that's changed. It was a little overwhelming on Friday night when I came back, I didn't know what to expect, it was a little emotional. But it's been everything I remember it to be, it's been awesome." Thoring currently is studying business administration and is considering the marketing field. But could coaching be in his future? He said he was offered two assistant coaching positions in the WHL, but turned them down to play collegiately. Could he see himself someday back in Everett in a different capacity? Thoring pondered a moment before responding: "Yeah, I think so. It's a big question. I love it here, it's the most beautiful place I've ever lived. The scenery and the rink and the professionalism of the coaching staff and the general manager, I don't have a bad word to say about them. Yeah, I could see myself coming back here sometime if they needed an assistant coach, or even someone to do the crappy work they don't want to do. So yeah, I'd consider coming back." Which would make it just like old times. Tips call up Sohor: Everett addressed its current defensive shortage by calling up defenseman Paul Sohor for tonight's game in Spokane. It will be Sohor's first game in the WHL. The 1991-born Sohor, Everett's fifth-round pick in the 2006 bantam draft, is currently playing for the Selkirk Steelers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, where in 54 games he has one goal, eight assists and 45 penalty minutes. Sohor was called up because Everett had just five defensemen available for tonight's game. Taylor Ellington (foot) and Mike Alexander (shoulder) are injured, and Graham Potuer is finishing off a two-game suspension. Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog

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