Will Rob Ramage's example finally get the message out?

There are no winners, or no cause for satisfaction over what happened last week to former Toronto Maple Leaf Captain Rob Ramage.

He was sentenced to four years in prison and prohibited from driving for five years in connection with a traffic accident that claimed the life of former NHL star Keith Magnuson and seriously injured a Woodbridge woman.

York Regional Police reported Ramage was convicted of impaired driving causing death, impaired driving causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing bodily harm and driving with more than the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

While we wouldn't wish what Ramage must be going through on our worst enemy, there are certain realities here. If he did what he has been convicted of (and in fairness to the man, it looks like the issue is going to be appealed), then he is clearly the author of his own misfortune. He did something that common sense should have told him not to do.

Published reports stated the Magnuson family appealed for leniency, and that is highly laudable of them. Laudable too were the number of high-profile people who issued letters and made statements on his behalf.

As well, there are probably a lot of people out there who believe the sentence handed Ramage was too harsh, considering he was a first offender who has led an otherwise exemplary life. Some might argue he was used as an example because of his notoriety as a hockey star.

Well, he could have gotten around all of that easily, if he just hadn't put himself behind the wheel.

He elected to take the chance, and that included facing whatever the judicial system, in its wisdom, decided to hand back.

The result is his to deal with.

It is a result that is nothing to gloat over. A former hockey star is dead, and the life of another former star has been seriously, if not permanently impacted.

If there is a silver lining to this very dark cloud, maybe there's some hope that people who are not quite as celebrated as a Rob Ramage might think twice before getting behind the wheel after having too many.

With all the notoriety that impaired driving has received over the last several years, we are mystified that such a message needs to be repeated again, but here it is.

Is it possible that this case might discourage just one potential impaired driver to stay off the road?

That might bring some real meaning to this incident.