Tomas fleischmann florida panthers news

SUNRISE, Fla. -- In many ways, Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh and Florida Panthers left winger Tomas Fleischmann couldn't be any more different.

One is a 6-foot-11 NBA superstar from Texas, and the other, a reticent NHL journeyman from the Czech Republic.

But, below the surface, the two South Florida athletes share a unique bond in the form of a blood disorder that recently sidelined Bosh for the rest of the season and nearly brought Fleischmann's career to an abrupt end only a few years ago.

It was on a long-distance flight to his native Czech Republic in 2009 when Fleischmann says the disease first surfaced after a loss of feeling in his legs prompted him to seek medical attention.

He was later diagnosed with a genetic blood disorder, but received treatments that enabled him to continuing playing.

It wasn't until 2011 when Fleischmann, who was playing for the Colorado Avalanche at the time, says that shortness of breath during a routine morning skate led