My name is Terry Ryan. I have a unique hockey background, as I left my native home of Newfoundland at 14 to move to Quesnel, BC in order to further my hockey career. I felt the best junior league on the planet was the WHL and by the time I was 16 I was skating for the Tri-City Americans. I was the 8th overall pick in 1995 to my favorite hockey team growing up, the Montreal Canadiens. At 19 I was playing with the Canadians for most of the season, then I was sent back to finish my junior career in Red Deer. Brad Leeb was part of that tightly knit squad. We lost to a great Lethbridge team who came up on the short end of the stick in the Memorial Cup Final in Hull, Quebec that season.

My professional career lasted for a brief but rewarding 6 years. I made it to ‘the show’ for only 8 games - considered a disappointment given my draft placing - but that was largely out of my hands as injuries took their toll, and a high ankle sprain led to me calling it quits in 2003. This was a bittersweet year as I was a member of the championship team Orlando Seals of the now defunct ACHL. In retrospect I am fully aware of how lucky I was to play the coolest game around in the best league on the planet even if it was for a 15 minute cup of coffee. I have made a lot of lasting friendships due to hockey. My other pro stops included Fredericton (where I had my best pro season in 1997, winning Rookie of the year with 21 goals and 34 tilts), St. John’s, Hershey, Utah, Long Beach, Idaho, Cincinnati, and Colorado Springs.

As it turns out, I truly believe some things must happen for a reason. The unfortunate passing of my good pal and Tri-City/Red Deer teammate BJ Young in 2005, has brought some unexpected events into my life. After moving to Alberta to play Senior hockey for the Bentley Generals in 2007 I met up with BJ's widow, Danielle and their 8 yr old son Tison. To make a VERY long story short, Danielle and I are now married, live in St. John's and have our own daughter, Penny-Laine (I am a huge Beatles fan). Ty is now 11 and plays hockey in Mount Pearl for the same organization I did growing up - the Mount Pearl Blades. I know that wherever my buddy is, he would be happy with this.

As of right now I still cling to "the dream" and playing Senior hockey here on the Rock, as a shortened schedule takes less of a toll on my ankle. I am going to the Memorial University of Newfoundland and will graduate with an education degree in 2 years if all goes well. I do some radio work, most notably for Montreal's TEAM 990. I play competitive baseball in the summers and I have a huge music collection which focuses on classic rock. I also play for Canada's National Ball Hockey Team. In June 2011 we have our sights set on a third World Championship ring in Bratislava, Slovakia. 

As any of my former teammates will tell you, I enjoy creating/telling a good story. Now after keeping a diary all those years, I have written a (hopefully) soon to be published book about my experiences called "Tales of a First Round Nothing", but that is another story!

Brad Leeb and I have kept in close touch over the years, and I am privileged to be a part of BetOnHockey.com!

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