Hospital flooded with donations
by Bill Kaufmann -- The Calgary Sun

  A tag-team born by the Hart family's misfortune is proving a silver lining for the Alberta Children's Hospital.

Those wishing to make a donation in memory of Owen Hart are being asked by the family to direct their gift to the city hospital -- a suggestion that garnered a deluge of calls yesterday from across the continent.

"I've gotten calls from Petersburg, Florida and Quebec," said Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation administrator Gail Slater.

"This could go on for weeks and months, even."

Most of the callers were prompted by a request on a World Wrestling Federation website and by an appeal broadcast Monday on a televised WWF event.

The majority are seeking information on how to make a donation to the foundation that raises $5 million annually for the hospital.

The Hart-hospital relationship dates back to 1996 when Matthew Annis, the 13-year-old grandson of city wrestling legend Stu Hart, succumbed to the so-called flesh eating disease.

The family was touched by the care young Matthew received at the hospital.

"Everyone feels a strong sentimentality to the children's hospital when Matt was there," said the boy's grandmother, Helen Hart.

Owen's wife, Martha said: "Owen was always supportive of the children's hospital -- it's something we can never afford to lose."

Since then, star wrestlers Bret and Owen Hart have fund-raised for the hospital and comforted its patients.

The hospital foundation is deeply appreciative of the family's efforts, which could commemorate Owen Hart in a new project or development, said executive director Maureen Sheahan.

"They've been wonderful supporters of the hospital -- it's tremendous that they've thought of the children's hospital at a difficult time like this," said Sheahan.

"If there are significant dollars from the Hart Memorial Fund, we would work with the family (to immortalize Owen Hart's name)."

Money normally raised by the foundation goes towards equipment, research, programs and education.

And pending provincial support, the hospital is ready to embark on a $50-million fund-raising campaign to build wings devoted to research-education and patient isolation.

"(The Hart fund) definitely could be a major contributor to that," said Sheahan.

Readers can make thier donations to:

Alberta Children's Hospital
820 Richmond Rd.
SW, Alberta, Canada,
T2T 5C7

Hart remembered

The Canadian contingent of the WWF at the Sports Celebrities Breakfast in aid of Special Olympics in December 1998. From left, Owen Hart, Edge, Kurrgan, WWF Canada president Carl De Marco and Val Venis -- (Photo by Trisha Hickey, Toronto Sun).

by Amanda Morrall -- The Canadian Press

His brawn and birthright made Owen Hart a legend in the arena but relatives grieving the death of the youngest member of the renowned Canadian wrestling clan say he'll be best remembered as a devoted family man.

"He was an exceptional human being," Hart's oldest sister Ellie said Monday from the family's sprawling home in Calgary where relatives gathered to grieve.

"The only thing that mattered to him was his family," she said, breaking down in tears.

Hart, 34, died Sunday after falling four storeys in front of thousands of fans and a worldwide pay-per-view television audience at a World Wrestling Federation show in Kansas City, Mo.

The youngest son of wrestling patriarch Stu and brother of famed Bret (The Hitman) Hart plunged head-first into the ring when he became detached from a cable lowering him from the top of the stadium.

The husband and father of two young children was killed instantly.

"We're just numb," said Ellie. "We're still in a state of disbelief."

Martha, Hart's wife of almost a decade, said both she and her husband had concerns about the dangers involved in the increasingly dangerous stunts being adopted in professional wrestling.

"For both of us, there was deep concern about safety, definitely," she said tearfully.

"I really want to get to the bottom of what happened."

The couple, high school sweethearts, were approaching their 10th anniversary and were set to move into their dream home in the country next week, said Martha.

"We had a storybook life, it was so perfect," she said, her voice choked with emotion.

"We were like two puzzle pieces that fit together perfect."

The Harts were together 17 years and have two children, Oje, 7, and Athena, 3. They were also planning for a third child, said Martha.

Hart, who started his professional wrestling career in 1986 with the WWF, was a four-time tag-team champion, two-time intercontinental champion and a European champion.

In past interviews, Hart said he was pulled into the sport because of his family's strong ties to the wrestling world but didn't want to make a long-term career out of it.

Sister Ellie said Hart was planning to retire in two years at the end of his contract.

"He was going to spend the rest of his time with his children and his wife. He saved every dime he ever made in wrestling," for that day.

"He was one of the best amateur wrestlers in the the world and he loved it. But he was fed up with the direction the wrestling was taking in New York and was ready to retire."

The World Wrestling Federation has called for an inquiry into the accident and family members say they have many unanswered questions. They hope the tragedy will serve as a lesson to wrestling officials keen on hyping stunts to promote ticket sales.

"My poor brother Owen was a sacrifice for the (TV) ratings, that's how I look at it," said Ellie. "I believe it's a serious wake-up call."

Hart's death is the third tragedy the large Calgary family has endured in the last 10 years.

In 1990, Owen's older brother Dean, one of eight brothers, died from injuries after he was struck by a transit bus. In 1996, Owen's nephew, the son of one of his four sisters, died of flesh-eating disease.

"When they died we were kind of prepared for it," said Ellie.

"This just came totally out of the blue. My poor parents were put through hell . . . . Frankly, the reality of the whole thing hasn't sunk in yet."

Ed Whelan, a family friend and longtime wrestling promoter, had high praise for Hart.

"It's God's truth that this was a terrific young man," Whelan said. "He was totally devoted to his family. And you know, in an era like today, he didn't even swear, he was such a clean-living guy."

Hart's body is scheduled to be returned to Calgary today by private jet and family members say funeral services could be delayed to accommodate mourners from across the world.

Goodbye, King Of Harts
by John Powell -- SLAM! Wrestling

Here in Toronto it has rained every day since Owen Hart's untimely death last Sunday. It's like the heavens themselves are crying too.

About a year ago, I chatted with a friendly, down to earth Owen Hart in the concourse of SkyDome. Wearing a white dress shirt, blue jeans and cowboy boots, he looked like he belonged on a dusty ranch somewhere rather than standing in a multi-million dollar sports facility made of iron and concrete. Owen and I talked about wrestling. We joked about the “nugget” gimmick. He spoke about leaving wrestling one day so he could be a teacher as well as a better husband and father.

In the course of producing and writing for SLAM! Wrestling, I have lived a fan's dream. I have had the pleasure of meeting and talking with people I have admired as a young boy. It's a strange experience interviewing pro wrestlers. Some are wary as soon as the tape recorder starts rolling never deviating from their character for fear of damaging their in-ring persona.

Owen Hart salutes the crowd at a WWF show on July 4, 1998, in Edmonton at the Coliseum -- (Photo by Joseph Ranger, Edmonton Sun).

Some, like Owen Hart, are themselves. No change in voice or attitude. No cutting impromptu promos. No BS. What you saw is what you got. He wasn't flashy. He wasn't some larger than life superstar standing next to you basking in the attention. He was real. He was Owen. I appreciated that.

About a month ago, I stood backstage at SkyDome waiting to chew the fat with Mick Foley. Later on, Hart wandered into the room making himself available for interviews. I thought about interviewing Hart again as he was so approachable and good humored...but I didn't. Maybe it was because not much was happening with his character that interested me. Maybe it was because I wanted to give others a chance to speak with him. Whatever my reasoning was at the time it's a decision I now regret.

Regret. It stings. It hurts. It eats you up inside. You second guess yourself. The “ifs” and “buts” swarm like angry bees inside your head. If Owen Hart's death instilled anything in me it's to live in the moment. Enjoy life to the fullest not only today but every day. All too often we get caught up in the trivial, meaningless crap that clutters up our lives. The stupid, petty arguments. The unfounded worries that prey on our minds. The single-minded, shallow pursuits that distract us from what really is important. Our friends. Our family. The people we love and live for.

However it happened, Owen died entertaining us - the fans. Something about that is so wrong it's sickening. Presently, there is a woman in Calgary who is too young to be a widow. With her are two children who don't have their father anymore. I ask that pro wrestlers, promoters and fans everywhere seriously think about that so some meaningful change can be brought about before another precious life is gone forever.

In journalism school we are taught when writing obituaries that to get a full appreciation of a person's life you must talk to as many people as possible. Business associates. Family members. Former classmates. Rivals. Friends. Then and only then do you get an accurate picture of what they meant to others and what affect they had on their lives. In watching that emotional edition of Raw, reading the thoughts of Owen's family, colleagues and also in publishing a page of your heart-felt remembrances, I can say that Owen Hart changed people for the better and that means more than any fact in a record book or shiny, gold plated strap that he did or did not wear around his waist.

God bless Owen and the Hart family.