Hockey is a game played with a puck made of solid rubber that is rocketed at speeds of upwards of 100 MPH. They dive in front of these shots then jump up and then skate at 30 miles per hour across a sheet of ice covered in men wielding sticks in their hands and near knives on their feet. In a game possessing this much sheer power it is a miracle that it is even safe to be played. However there are injuries and during the second period of today's Bruins/Lightning veterans day matinee Bruins fans witnessed firsthand the grisly level of bodily harm that hockey can induce.
With just over 7 minutes to go in the second period of what was then a scoreless Bruins vs. Lightning midday game Stephan Stamkos got locked up with Bruin Dougie Hamilton in an attempt to prevent the defenceman from getting a clean shot on net. Prior to what happened next, Stamkos was tied with Alexander Steen for the NHL lead in goals with 14 and had been displaying the same back checking willingness that today would take him out of the game.
"Obviously when he can’t get up it is a serious injury but we all hope for the best with him and hope it is not to serious." Bruin center Gregory Campbell said following the injury. But his words of remorse were not lonely in Boston today as without a doubt Stephan Stamkos truly is a league wide fan favorite meaning it stings us all when he goes down.
"It is unfortunate that injuries happen in the game." Bruins assistant coach Doug Jarvis said minutes after Campbell spoke.
Stamkos is tough, but gracious in his goal scoring. He rarely whines about calls or specific plays and takes accountability for his actions. There is nothing not to like about Stephan and for that reason, Bruins fans immediately fell silent and watched as these events unfolded. He slid hard into the post and screamed in pain as the net slid off its pegs. But being the competitor that he is, Stamkos made a valiant attempt to raise to his feet only to fall back to the ice and slam his fist repeatedly against the playing surface.
The game remained halted for the better part of 10 minutes all before Stamkos was painfully moved to a stretcher and hauled off the ice. Bruins fans present rose to their feet and gave a standing ovation to the fallen foe.
"It's broken" he supposedly said to those gathered around him and after several replays it is clear that that might not be of any exaggerated nature. The leg that collided most strongly with the right goalpost seemed to snap or at least contort itself in a non-natural way.
It is important to note that although Stamkos spent time burying his face in the ice he never lost consciousness and was immediately transported via ambulance to a local Boston hospital for X-Ray examination. To this point, no results have been announced.
A loss like this is one not simply suffered by Tampa but by extension the entire NHL. But to this point we have all seen the mighty toughness of Stephan Stamkos and while there may be a absence of intact leg bone right now there is no doubt that the second he can even crawl on his leg he will be on the ice fighting as passionately as possible to get back to playing the game he loves.
To see a GIF of the Stamkos injury click here WARNING: leg can be seen bending in severely unnatural way.
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