Loss of Eyesight - McGee, O'Ree, Berard.

[Staniowski]

Frank McGee, Willie O'Ree, and Brian Berard each lost most or all of their eyesight in one eye as a result of on-ice incidents when they were young men, and all 3 continued to play.

Any others? Any others who retired immediately due to eye injuries?

Click to read more...

 

[VanIslander]

I loved the all-time focus of this thread: three entirely different eras.

McGee joined the WWI effort and when the doctor asked him to switch for the eye test: instead of changing eye that was covered, he changed hands and covered the same eye!

 

[VanIslander]

Manny Malhotra was a valuable face-off artist, bottom-6 defensive checking pivot who got 25-30 points per season.

That is, he did until an eye injury in Vancouver in 2011 that in effect led to the end of his career.

 

[hackandslash]

Carl Soderberg I believe is legally blind in his left eye

 

[Canadiens1958]

Doug Barkley - mid 1960s Detroit, Doug Robinson early 1970s, Baz Bastien - goalie prospect,late 1940s. Jacques Monette, Leafs goalie prospect.

Florent Pilote, Pierre's brother:

Flo Pilote helped Nashville win its first hockey championship

Greg Neeld 1970's:

Greg Neeld - Wikipedia

 

[The Pale King]

Jean Hamel is another. His career ended due to an eye injury sustained during the Good Friday Massacre in the second round of the 1984 playoffs.

Good Friday Massacre - Wikipedia

 

[Robert Gordon Orr]

Some other names in the NHL that comes to mind

Thomas Rundqvist
Pierre Mondou
Jamie Hislop
Jordan Smith
Jeff Libby
Mattias Weinhandl
Hector Marini
Tony Feltrin
Glen Sharpley

Probably the most gruesome eye injury happened to a Polish player in the early 1970s. (His name escapes me at the moment). It was a world championship game and the opponents skate (tip) got lodged in his eye. It took team doctors several minutes before they were able to separate/remove the skate
from the eye of the player. Needless to say that it ended his career. He battled depression after that, started to drink and died before he was 30

Edit: Feliks Góralczyk was the name of the Polish player

 

[Albatros]

Bernie Parent quit as a result of a severe eye injury, made partial recovery I believe but couldn't continue playing anymore.

Yzerman also had a nasty injury late in his career just before a lockout, had a surgery and returned still for a farewell tour wearing a visor.

 

[Staniowski]

Some other names in the NHL that comes to mind

Thomas Rundqvist
Pierre Mondou
Jamie Hislop
Jordan Smith
Jeff Libby
Mattias Weinhandl
Hector Marini
Tony Feltrin
Glen Sharpley

Probably the most gruesome eye injury happened to a Polish player in the early 1970s. (His name escapes me at the moment). It was a world championship game and the opponents skate (tip) got lodged in his eye. It took team doctors several minutes before they were able to separate/remove the skate
from the eye of the player. Needless to say that it ended his career. He battled depression after that, started to drink and died before he was 30

Edit: Feliks Góralczyk was the name of the Polish player

Yeah, I had forgotten about Mondou. Hit by stick of Ulf Samuelsson. Mondou was 29 years old, and retired.

 

[Staniowski]

Doug Barkley - mid 1960s Detroit, Doug Robinson early 1970s, Baz Bastien - goalie prospect,late 1940s. Jacques Monette, Leafs goalie prospect.

Florent Pilote, Pierre's brother:

Flo Pilote helped Nashville win its first hockey championship

Greg Neeld 1970's:

Greg Neeld - Wikipedia

Very unfortunate for Flo Pilote, it says he made Chicago, but suffered his eye injury before getting to play a regular season game, and the injury ended his NHL chance. Never played an NHL game.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Barry Ashbee



Bernie Parent



Chris Pronger

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

i swear mattias ohlund was a future norris contender before he got hit in the eye with a puck in his second year and lost 30% of his vision in one eye.

 

[ES]

Ryan McGill, 2nd round pick who retired at 26.

Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Ryan McGill

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Marc Staal, 7 years ago (damn, I can't believe it's that long ago)

Used to not wear a visor until he took a double-deflection Kimmo Timonen clapper to the eye. Pupil permanently dilated and he now wears a slightly-tinted visor for light sensitivity purposes and suffered some peripheral vision loss IIRC. Dan Girardi also put a visor on after witnessing that.

 

[mbhhofr]

Glen Sonmor.

Glen Sonmor - Wikipedia

Bill Dobbyn.

Remembering a Lost N.H.L. All-Star Game

 

[tarheelhockey]

Manny Malhotra was a valuable face-off artist, bottom-6 defensive checking pivot who got 25-30 points per season.

That is, he did until an eye injury in Vancouver in 2011 that in effect led to the end of his career.

I dunno about the end of his career, Manny still played 3 seasons after the injury. His scoring was diminished but at least from what I saw of him as a Hurricane, he was a decent 4C. And he retired at 34, which was pretty ordinary.

He definitely lost something to the injury, but it wasn’t the end for him. He had a decent comeback.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I dunno about the end of his career, Manny still played 3 seasons after the injury. His scoring was diminished but at least from what I saw of him as a Hurricane, he was a decent 4C. And he retired at 34, which was pretty ordinary.

He definitely lost something to the injury, but it wasn’t the end for him. He had a decent comeback.

there's a story about how after manny came back and raffi torres was with the sharks, raffi had him all lined up and was ready to hit him into next week the way he would do to anyone else but he let up because he knew manny couldn't see him.

raffi was on the ice when manny got that puck to the eye.

 

[Sanf]

Doug Barkley - mid 1960s Detroit, Doug Robinson early 1970s, Baz Bastien - goalie prospect,late 1940s. Jacques Monette, Leafs goalie prospect.

Florent Pilote, Pierre's brother:

Flo Pilote helped Nashville win its first hockey championship

Greg Neeld 1970's:

Greg Neeld - Wikipedia

Are you possibly meaning Jacques Marcotte or did Monette also have an eye injury?

 

[Sanf]

Tommy Burlington. One of the myths/legends of great player outside NHL. Was obtained by Black Hawks, but wasn´t allowed to play because of his eye injury. (IIRC)

Few Clips. Other from exhibition game agains Montreal Canadiens. (Can´t remember why I haven´t named the other two players )

Painesville Telegraph - Apr 12, 1945
Three top ranking players, A, Burlington and C, have been traded off. The Chicago Black hawks of the National league get them and in return give the Barons four players, to be picked this summer.


The Shawinigan Standard - Oct 16, 1946
Burlington with two goals and an assist in the first two periods paced the Reds again here Sunday when they were leading Canadiens 2-1 at the end of the first period and were still out in front 4-3 at the end of the second. Burlington, a one eyed player, shattered his glass eye late in the middle frame and sat out the third period...

 

[brachyrynchos]

It hasn't ended his career but Michael Grabner suffered a nasty eye injury this past December. He came back later in the season and seems to be ok thank goodness. Not sure if his vision was permanently affected.

 

[feffan]

i swear mattias ohlund was a future norris contender before he got hit in the eye with a puck in his second year and lost 30% of his vision in one eye.

Agreed. That he still became a top 10-30 defender in the leauge after that injurie and remained so for 10 seasons is ridicilous impressive. After his first two seasons I was convinced he would be at least a 2nd Team All Star in a couple of years at least.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Are you possibly meaning Jacques Marcotte or did Monette also have an eye injury?

You are correct, Jacques Marcotte. Missed almost three seasons before returning to the IHL.

 

[wetcoast]

i swear mattias ohlund was a future norris contender before he got hit in the eye with a puck in his second year and lost 30% of his vision in one eye.

His name came to mind for me as a Canuck fan.

I still think that he is the best all time Canuck Dman

Ohlund learns to live with eye injury

 

[sr edler]

Probably the most gruesome eye injury happened to a Polish player in the early 1970s. (His name escapes me at the moment). It was a world championship game and the opponents skate (tip) got lodged in his eye. It took team doctors several minutes before they were able to separate/remove the skate
from the eye of the player. Needless to say that it ended his career. He battled depression after that, started to drink and died before he was 30

Edit: Feliks Góralczyk was the name of the Polish player

Ouch.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Probably the most gruesome eye injury happened to a Polish player in the early 1970s. (His name escapes me at the moment). It was a world championship game and the opponents skate (tip) got lodged in his eye. It took team doctors several minutes before they were able to separate/remove the skate
from the eye of the player. Needless to say that it ended his career. He battled depression after that, started to drink and died before he was 30

Edit: Feliks Góralczyk was the name of the Polish player