02/10/01

By MARK SIMON

Staff Writer 

The eyes tell the story. They always do.

There are a number of photos of Titans players encased in
glass at the team's practice facility at Ice Land. The one
that drew this writer's attention Thursday was a wonderful
shot of Jed Whitchurch sitting on the team bench at the
Sovereign Bank Arena, waiting to get back on the ice.

The expression on his face is what brings you back to it.
It's a hard stare filled with a mixture of focus and
determination. It's the kind that you would expect from
someone who on every shift had to fight through stick
blades that often reached eye-level because of his smaller
stature. It's the kind that you would expect from someone
who took every hit and got back up, then got his revenge
by winning in the end and being one of the last ones
standing.

It's not necessarily the kind you would expect from the
nicest player on the team.

There were many reasons why Whitchurch was popular
here. His size, youthful looks, and a magnetic personality
made him extremely approachable, both from the
perspective of the fans and the media. That attention was
reciprocated, whether it was simply in giving interviews,
signing autographs, or taking an hour to put together a
museum-quality sketch of a skate for a charity auction. 

Those same eyes that formed the crux of that stare were
blinking back tears after Whitchurch learned that he had
been traded to the New Orleans Brass following practice
on Thursday. It was a different look for a proud Titan.

True to form, he handled the end of his time here with
class, making sure to say goodbye to everyone, even the
Titans locker room attendants. There were a lot of farewells
because he met a lot of people along the way.

"It's the toughest thing to do," Whitchurch said. "The
emotions are really deep. The hardest part to swallow is all
of the friendships. You just have to move on."