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Inside the NHL

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Posted: Tuesday January 04, 2000 05:34 PM

A Hunger to Play  

Dietary restrictions have not stopped Oilers defenseman Tom Poti

By Kostya Kennedy

At 22 and in his second NHL season, Oilers defenseman Tom Poti is cagey beyond his years. He's a deft poke checker, passes with precision and is so savvy in his positioning that Edmonton coach Kevin Lowe calls him "unfailingly reliable." Poti has performed so well that through Sunday he was ranked eighth in the NHL in playing time, with nearly 27 minutes per game. The guys ahead of Poti on that list include elite backliners Chris Pronger, Ray Bourque, Rob Blake and Nicklas Lidstrom, and Poti is easily the youngest among the top 15 in ice time. There could be a Norris Trophy in his future.

Despite severe food allergies, Poti has stayed strong enough to be among the leaders in ice time. Robert Beck

Yet for those who know Poti well, such as his father, Emil, the most remarkable thing about the Oilers defenseman is that he's on the ice at all. From about the age of 18 months -- the time he stopped using baby formula -- Poti has battled bizarre and frightening food allergies. With little warning his face would become badly swollen, or he would break out in hives and rashes. Over the years the Potis identified the perilous foods as, among other things, nuts, chocolate, fish and monosodium glutamate, a preservative commonly referred to as MSG. When he ate any of those foods (or foods with MSG), his throat would swell nearly shut and he would have to be hospitalized.

As a kid Poti brought his own cake to birthday parties; as a teenager he lugged an equipment bag full of food with him on hockey road trips. In the spring of 1996, during his senior year at Cushing Academy prep school in Ashburnham, Mass., he almost died while eating with buddies in the cafeteria. "There was almond flavoring in the rice, and I didn't realize it," says Poti. "All of a sudden I could barely breathe. A nurse there injected adrenaline into my thigh, which saved me before I got to the hospital. Now I carry adrenaline and a needle wherever I go."

Poti's seemingly fragile health contributed to his slipping precipitously in the '96 draft. Weighing only 175 pounds at the time (compared with 215 now), Poti was ranked among the top 15 prospects by NHL Central Scouting. However, after talk of his allergies circulated, the Oilers were able to steal him in the third round.

Since reaching the NHL, Poti has avoided allergic reactions and built his strength by subsisting largely on plain pasta, meat without gravy and cereal. "When I'm out with the team, I have to go into the kitchen and talk to the cook," he says. "I can't risk anything."

On Christmas day, toting a syringe full of adrenaline, Poti went to the home of teammate Bill Guerin, who was hosting several Oilers for a feast of pork roast, potatoes and corn bread. Poti huddled over his sauceless pasta. "When I met him last season, I worried," says Lowe. "Not anymore. He's got an inner strength that drives him. The way he plays makes the worry go away."

Issue date: January 10, 1999

For more Inside the NHL see this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, on newsstands Wednesday, January 5. Click here to subscribe to SI.

 

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