My team’s last game was this Sunday. We got into the 2nd round of the EAHL playoffs before losing 5-0. It was a painful thing to watch. There were 10 available players for the game, so there was a lot of ice time for everyone. There would’ve been 1 more player, but I had to watch from the bleachers.
See, that’s me in the chair with the stylish cast. My season ended a week before when our team was up 4-0 in the 3rd period of our first playoff game. I challenged an opposing player for the puck just outside our zone. I raced toward him then turned to stop. Apparently the stop wasn’t as successful as I thought it was going to be. There was a collision and, with all my weight on my right skate, I fell back. Since it’s physically impossible to keep your skate dug into the ice while laying on your back something had to give, so my tibia snapped and my fibula broke in 2 spots.
That was not the way I wanted to end my season. After an ambulance trip to the hospital, lots of pain meds and surgery, I’m now hanging out on my couch with my casted leg propped up. There’s now a permanent rod in my tibia and I’m off my feet for a long while.
Not my leg, but an example of what my leg is llike now
I was really impressed with the reactions by everyone involved. As soon as I hit the ice, one of the refs went straight to the scorer’s box to have them call 911, someone from the other team gave me his jersey to put under my head and Jesse Badder, the League Director, was on-hand to remind my family of the benefits of my USA Hockey membership. I was also impressed with the West Metro Firefighters who lifted me onto the gurney with as little pain as possible while standing on a sheet of ice. Thank you everyone who made a horrible injury as easy on me as possible!
I miss skating already. I’ve been going at least once a week for the past year. Going to watch my team play, just being next to the ice felt good. My injury hasn’t scared me at all, it just made me realize how much hockey has become a part of me. I’ll do ANYTHING to get back out on that ice. I can’t wait until my doctor’s appointment on Monday. I want to get the rehab started and I want to do it right.
