from Mark Falkner of the Detroit News,

The team announced the next day that Tracy was stepping away from his duties to "address a personal matter."

"What's done is done," Brind'Amour said. "First, we made sure he was going to be all right. He took ownership right away and then it was what's the next step? He didn't blame anyone. Tons of people supported him because he cares about people. That's what stands out for me and how you get through tough times."

Now, with the first anniversary of the New York incident coming up at the end of the month and Tracy back in the broadcast booth since the start of the 2022-23 NHL season, he credits Brind'Amour as well as a huge support network, including his sister Tiffany Klaasen, his cousin and Ford CEO Jim Farley, and his addiction counselor Brian Spitsbergen, for helping him during these 11 months of sobriety while he attends daily meetings in a recovery program.

"When you're an alcoholic like I am, one of the things you struggle with and prevents you from truly accepting that you have a disease is comparing and not identifying," the 49-year-old Tracy said. "You'll say, 'Well this hasn't happened to me yet or that hasn't happened to me yet.' It takes the yets to get to the necessary acceptance.

"When I think of April in New York last year, one of those yets I couldn't have fathomed was drinking on the day of the game. I did. I had a terrible hangover and I thought another drink would calm my head down. I think about that day every day because it gives me the acceptance that I am one thousand percent an alcoholic."

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