Steve Yzerman Injured
Published May 03, 2004
Quotes from here.
Detroit captain Steve Yzerman is out indefinitely after undergoing 4 1/2 hours of surgery for a scratched cornea and broken left eye socket.
Yzerman is expected to make a full recovery, the Red Wings said in a statement Sunday, adding that he will be unavailable to comment for a week.
Yzerman was hurt when he was hit in the face with a puck during Detroit's 1-0 loss to Calgary on Saturday night.
He experienced blurred vision in his eye, but that improved after the surgery.
Yzerman, who will turn 39 on May 9, has a franchise-record 70 playoff goals and 181 points in his 20 seasons with the Red Wings, who trail Calgary 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. In regular-season games, he's the sixth-leading scorer in NHL history.
He was hit midway through the second period of Game 5 and needed help getting off the ice.
"He's been a tremendous leader and now it's up to us to step up," center Kris Draper said after practice Sunday. "Let's go out and play a great game for him because he's done so much for us."
The injury came after a shot by Red Wings defenseman Mathieu Schneider ricocheted off someone in front of the Calgary net and hit Yzerman squarely in the face as he stood to the left of the goal.
Yzerman, who doesn't wear a face shield, immediately dropped to the ice. He kicked his legs in pain as he was sprawled out.
After being down for a couple minutes, with the crowd watching in stunned silence, Yzerman was helped to the dressing room as a towel was held near his left eye. He didn't return to the game.
For those who don't follow hockey, Steve Yzerman is right up there with some of the all-time NHL greats: Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, etc. This horrific injury, coming in the twilight of his career, might mean this great leader will never again take to the ice at Joe Louis Arena as a Detroit Red Wing.
As a Red Wings fan, this is a very sad thing for me. My team looks like they are doing their usual job of playoff-underachieving (they are down 3-2 in their second-round series with Calgary, despite having the best regular-season record in the NHL), and now their captain is out of the lineup indefinitely.
My morale is, understandably, low right now. So...GO PISTONS!
RJ Elliott is a graduate student studying Criminal Justice at the University Of Central Florida. His likes include nature, sports, and pierced blondes. He dislikes daytime television, left-wing dictators, and lead-tainted Chinese imports. He is ambivalent about Angelina Jolie.
- Steve Yzerman Injured
- Published: May 03, 2004
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- Section: Sports
- Writer: RJ Elliott
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