It is almost an expression nowadays. A player gets caught up by his mouth and leaves the game all bloodied only to return a shift or two later. And then you hear the famous line "he's a hockey player" and that somehow qualifies the return.
It's expected that hockey players act tougher than anyone else. It's a physical sport and players lay their health on the line for their team. That's why we constantly see moments of bravery and effort by guys like Tim Brent, Ian Laperriere, and others. Like I said, players put their team first and it's truly remarkable to see.
Especially in the NHL playoffs.
I say it time and time again. One of my favourite times of the year is when after a team is eliminated, news comes out about players who played through bad injuries. It shows the will power of these guys to go out there and give it their all especially with significant problems.
It happens pretty frequently. What some players go through is incredible. I think it's something that is unparalleled in the sports world. We commonly see players in other sports sit out with injuries that an NHL player might not miss a shift for.
There's a story I heard the other day that in Wayne Gretzky's first NHL Stanley Cup Finals appearance (which, believe it or not resulted in a loss to the New York Islanders) he witnessed something that changed his attitude toward the sport. He said that after the decisive game, he observed some of the Islander players, not celebrating the victory, but agonizing in pain in the trainers rooms with injuries they've been battling. After that, Gretzky related that now he knew what it took to win a championship. (s/t to R' Malitzky for the tale)
These playoffs have been incredible so far. And what made them all the more incredible were the several instances of players playing through injuries during their series. Here are just a few cases of it.
TOMAS FLEISCHMANN-BROKEN HAND
Florida Panthers forward Tomas Fleischmann had a big breakout year for his team. He had 61 points and played on a dynamic line that gave the Panthers the division win. In the first round of the playoffs though, he was slashed in the left hand and suffered a fracture.
Not only did Fleischmann remain in the lineup, he continued logging in 20 minutes of time on ice. This gutsy performance personifies the mindset of the NHL player. He was willing to do anything to help his team win. True, Fleischmann did ultimately drop to the third line due to his (understandably) weak performance, but his effort was truly admirable.
ILYA KOVALCHUK-INJURED BACK
As a Devils fan, it's easy to say that Ilya Kovalchuk had something bothering him during the first round of the series. He was not quite himself and seemed weak on the puck. It was no secret that he had an issue, most fans said either it was a groin issue or a back issue. But whenever asked about his health, he said he was fine.
After playing the whole first round and game 1 of round 2 with an injured back, the Devils finally decided to sit Kovy out. You have to respect a player who does his best to play well with a tough injury and then accepts to sit out of a game when he realizes what is best for the team. He realized that he was starting to become a liability for the club so he finally sought medical help. Kovalchuk took a lot of heat at first for his lack of production, but I'd say that it was respectable for the situation he was in, including a series saving assist in OT of game 6.
JOHN MADDEN-CUT UP FACE
Perhaps one of the scariest moments of the post season so far was the friendly-fire collision between Florida's Tomas Kopecky and John Madden. In case you missed it, here was the video:
John Madden was carrying the puck when he collided head on with his own teammate. The impact was brutal. Pieces of Madden's helmet chipped off. All in all, it was a terrifying moment, especially for Florida, in game 7.
But, it was game 7. And nothing was going to keep veteran John Madden out of the game. Even if that meant playing with many stitches on his face and a plug up his nose.
Like with the other players mentioned, Madden's a trooper and really payed the price for his game. He almost ended off the night with a great chance in OT on his longtime friend Martin Brodeur which would have ended the story nicely.
RUSTY KLESLA-BRUISED FACE
This one is pretty painful to watch. If you look closely, you can see the butt of the stick getting jammed into Klesla's face right before he goes down in pain. When a stick gets caught in something and the butt end jams into any part of your body, it's not a pretty sight. In this specific case, Klesla came back (even without a cage!) and played the rest of the game normally. Well, as normally for a guy with a huge bruise and cut on his cheek...
SAMI LEPISTO-BRUISED LEG
If you are light-hearted, I advise you stop reading here. Chicago defenseman Sami Lepisto blocked a few shots against the Phoenix Coyotes in their playoff series.
Unfortunately, those were too many for him.
Sami tweeted this picture of his leg after the series had ended (tweeting an injury, is apparently the new thing to do. Just ask Taylor Hall or Darryl Boyce (not for squeamish)). This hideous bruise caused Lepisto to miss the rest of game 5 after blocking a shot from Lauri Korpikoski. But guess what. He played in game 6.
Hockey players do this all the time. Sacrificing their body for the benefit of their team. They do it because of dedication. They do it because of teamwork. They do it...
Because it's the cup.
(sorry, but I had to end it with the cliche)
It's expected that hockey players act tougher than anyone else. It's a physical sport and players lay their health on the line for their team. That's why we constantly see moments of bravery and effort by guys like Tim Brent, Ian Laperriere, and others. Like I said, players put their team first and it's truly remarkable to see.
Especially in the NHL playoffs.
I say it time and time again. One of my favourite times of the year is when after a team is eliminated, news comes out about players who played through bad injuries. It shows the will power of these guys to go out there and give it their all especially with significant problems.
It happens pretty frequently. What some players go through is incredible. I think it's something that is unparalleled in the sports world. We commonly see players in other sports sit out with injuries that an NHL player might not miss a shift for.
There's a story I heard the other day that in Wayne Gretzky's first NHL Stanley Cup Finals appearance (which, believe it or not resulted in a loss to the New York Islanders) he witnessed something that changed his attitude toward the sport. He said that after the decisive game, he observed some of the Islander players, not celebrating the victory, but agonizing in pain in the trainers rooms with injuries they've been battling. After that, Gretzky related that now he knew what it took to win a championship. (s/t to R' Malitzky for the tale)
These playoffs have been incredible so far. And what made them all the more incredible were the several instances of players playing through injuries during their series. Here are just a few cases of it.
TOMAS FLEISCHMANN-BROKEN HAND
Florida Panthers forward Tomas Fleischmann had a big breakout year for his team. He had 61 points and played on a dynamic line that gave the Panthers the division win. In the first round of the playoffs though, he was slashed in the left hand and suffered a fracture.
Not only did Fleischmann remain in the lineup, he continued logging in 20 minutes of time on ice. This gutsy performance personifies the mindset of the NHL player. He was willing to do anything to help his team win. True, Fleischmann did ultimately drop to the third line due to his (understandably) weak performance, but his effort was truly admirable.
ILYA KOVALCHUK-INJURED BACK
As a Devils fan, it's easy to say that Ilya Kovalchuk had something bothering him during the first round of the series. He was not quite himself and seemed weak on the puck. It was no secret that he had an issue, most fans said either it was a groin issue or a back issue. But whenever asked about his health, he said he was fine.
After playing the whole first round and game 1 of round 2 with an injured back, the Devils finally decided to sit Kovy out. You have to respect a player who does his best to play well with a tough injury and then accepts to sit out of a game when he realizes what is best for the team. He realized that he was starting to become a liability for the club so he finally sought medical help. Kovalchuk took a lot of heat at first for his lack of production, but I'd say that it was respectable for the situation he was in, including a series saving assist in OT of game 6.
JOHN MADDEN-CUT UP FACE
Perhaps one of the scariest moments of the post season so far was the friendly-fire collision between Florida's Tomas Kopecky and John Madden. In case you missed it, here was the video:
But, it was game 7. And nothing was going to keep veteran John Madden out of the game. Even if that meant playing with many stitches on his face and a plug up his nose.
 |
| He's a hockey player |
Like with the other players mentioned, Madden's a trooper and really payed the price for his game. He almost ended off the night with a great chance in OT on his longtime friend Martin Brodeur which would have ended the story nicely.
RUSTY KLESLA-BRUISED FACE
SAMI LEPISTO-BRUISED LEG
If you are light-hearted, I advise you stop reading here. Chicago defenseman Sami Lepisto blocked a few shots against the Phoenix Coyotes in their playoff series.
Unfortunately, those were too many for him.
Sami tweeted this picture of his leg after the series had ended (tweeting an injury, is apparently the new thing to do. Just ask Taylor Hall or Darryl Boyce (not for squeamish)). This hideous bruise caused Lepisto to miss the rest of game 5 after blocking a shot from Lauri Korpikoski. But guess what. He played in game 6.
Hockey players do this all the time. Sacrificing their body for the benefit of their team. They do it because of dedication. They do it because of teamwork. They do it...
Because it's the cup.
(sorry, but I had to end it with the cliche)
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