NHL defenceman misses game with possible foodborne illness

ESPN reported today that Mark Fistric of the Dallas Stars missed last Saturday night’s game vs Los Angeles after being hospitalized with symptoms consistent with a foodborne illness. In an effort to step out of hockey and into epidemiology, Fistric (below, left side of the Blackhawk sandwich), who has 3 points and 14 penalty minutes this season, reported that he believes the illness was caused by a pregame meal on Friday.

"The last thing I ate was a pregame meal in San Jose, and everyone ate it and no one got it," Fistric said. "I felt fine during the game. But when I was getting on the bus, it started hitting me. It was the most pain I’d ever felt in my stomach and they took me right to the hospital [when the plane landed]."
Fistric said he was put on antibiotics and got plenty of sleep the last few days.

Although most pathogens will create symptoms within a couple of days, Fistric might have been exposed up to ten days before feeling ill. While it might make a reappearance, it’s usually not as simple as blaming the most recent meal for the illness.

As I dug up some stats on Mark Fistric, I came across some info on his dad, Boris, who was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 1979 and spent his professional career in the minor leagues. Boris was a bit of a bad ass, racking up 460 penalty minutes in 64 games as a junior (that’s about three fights every two games) and breaking 390 minutes twice while with Kalamazoo of the International League. Wow.

OHIO: Boris thinks the health inspector sabotaged his restaurant

It’s the blame game again. Boris and Tatiana Vilenchuk, owners of Hawa Russia restaurant in Columbus, Ohio are upset at the health department’s decision to revoke their license, reports The Columbus Dispatch.

The Columbus Board of Health took away their licenses yesterday, citing persistent, unresolved food-safety problems. At the Russian restaurant on the North Side, problems reported by inspectors included foods held at improper temperatures, the absence of a hand-washing sink and employees inadequately trained in food safety.

[O]wners of Hawa Russia, argued that inspectors have been unfair and unreasonable and accused a food inspector of planting an insect in the restaurant to prompt a violation.

Health officials said they have gone above and beyond to work with the Hawa Russia owners and staff. Only after several failed attempts to bring the restaurant into compliance did officials recommend revoking the license.

The Vilenchuks have closed the restaurant and said they don’t plan to appeal the order.

Oh, Boris. Already Columbus Public Health Online reports the establishment as closed (see below).

Inspection results in Columbus are available online and at the premise in the form of colored cards, and the Healthier, Safer People Honor Award, described below: