If you
follow me on twitter, you'd know that I was in Carolina at Winnipeg's morning skate when Zach Redmond was cut by a skate on his right thigh lacerating his femoral artery. The skate had ended and the media was waiting in the locker room for players to trickle in. Some had already showered, changed and caught a cab back to the hotel when an assistant coach came running into the room yelling for the trainers to get back to the ice.
The assumption was that it was an errant puck to the face, not a life or death situation, but when we made our way to the ice, you could see all the players gathered at the opposite crease surrounding Redmond and Anthony Peluso who was on his hands and knees putting pressure on Redmond's thigh, already covered in an unhealthy amount of blood. Once the trainers saw the extent of the damage, the trainers immediately yelled out to call an ambulance.
To be sure, it was a scary scene and even more so once he was moved to the ambulance and you saw just how much blood Redmond had lost. It was a thick pool that was nearly half the size of the crease. We later learned that the accident occurred during one-on-one battle drills. He fell, taking another player with him who accidentally stepped on him. He lost over a liter of blood, but surgeons were able to repair the artery and he is expected to make a full recovery, although he will be out of the lineup for the foreseeable future - likely until next season.
The incident reignited the kevlar sock debate, but A) Redmond was wearing them B) they only go to the knee and this cut was just above it. So bring on the discussion of kevlar reinforced body armor…or at the very least leggings.
So, while this was an unfortunate incident that could have gone horribly wrong without the outstanding medical staffs from Winnipeg and Carolina, who were still in the building and jumped right in, accidents happen and they can't all be prevented. So while the kevlar sock/visor/supposedly concussion-proof helmets/neck guard debate rages on, let's remember that these are grown men, fully capable of making their own decisions and choosing to use all the safety equipment available to them, or not.
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It was also announced on Thursday that Philadelphia's Matt Read tore muscles in his ribs and will be out of the lineup for a few weeks. A rather sharp blow to the Flyers who have already been dealing with a lot of injuries the past six weeks.
Sidenote: Hard to believe this season is nearly half over with the Flyers being the first team to play 20 games.
Read was tied for the team lead in goals and was in the middle of a solid sophomore season before the injury and as Philadelphia tries to claw it's way up the standings and above .500, the surprise return of Scott Hartnell to the lineup today against Winnipeg was a much needed boost.
Although the first ten minutes "weren't very pretty" according to Danny Briere, they started to pull it together after a fight initiated by Wayne Simmonds midway through the first period. Brayden Schenn scored twice, Simmonds got the Gordie Howe Hat Trick, Claude Giroux notched a power play goal with a bomb from the point and Zac Rinaldo got the empty net goal as the Flyers came back from a 3-1 deficit with three power play goals to win 5-3.
A rather large match between Philly and Toronto looms on Monday for a multitude of reasons, but mostly because Philadelphia looks to bridge the gap between the haves and the have nots in the Eastern Conference while Toronto aims to leap frog it's way to the top. If the Flyers want to hit that .500 mark for the first time this season, they'll need the concerted effort they put forth for the last 50 minutes of today's game, but it would be in their best interest if they played that way right from the opening face-off. If not, slow starts will come to define this team in a most unpleasant way.
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The Chicago Blackhawks are obscenely good and it's not necessarily that they have the most skill, but they work so well together as a team, believe in their talents and never give up on themselves. It's amazing to see and even more impressive that they've come from behind in a number of their wins. The tough part is that they are likely to lose a game at some point this season and all I can hope for is that it's as entertaining a game as most of their wins have been. Please, Hockey Gods, don't give us a clunker.
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While I'm working on my Hobey Hopefuls blog, I have also been getting emails requesting information on potential free agent signings from the college ranks. One that fits both and deserves some recognition is Rylan Schwartz from Collorado College. If you recall, his younger brother is Jaden and currently plays for the St Louis Blues. While the two played in Colorado Springs - often on the same line - they racked up the points with most of the credit going to Jaden, who was a first round draft pick. Their teammates and coaches insisted that Rylan was just as good and this, his senior year, was his chance to prove that he could achieve those stats without the help of his brother who left early for the pros.
Despite CC's lack luster season thus far, Schwartz has been stellar with 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points in 30 games earning his way into the Hobey discussion. With 28, 38 and 40 points in his previous three seasons he sits five shy of 150 in his collegiate career, is known for his tremendous leadership on and off the ice and especially in the classroom. The 5'10, 200 pound forward is also catching the eyes of scouts. With his gritty work ethic, he could be a tremendous addition to any teams bottom six and bring some top six versatility with him. I'm more than curious to see where he'll land.
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Also, while I was in Carolina, I worked on a feature about Justin Faulk...keep your eyes peeled for it later this week.
Julie
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