Your worst hockey injury

[TheTotalPackage]

Was gone full steam after the puck, then catching an edge around the faceoff dot, and spiralled backwards feet first into the boards. Luckily didn't break anything, but could feel the strain on my ankle and the bone connecting to it and was unable to put any pressure on it. Walked gingerly with a limp for days. Tried playing on it again two weeks later, and as soon as I stepped on the ice my leg just gave out underneath me. I slipped as if it were akin to trying to skate after losing your skate blade.

Didn't happen to me, but I've seen a guy lose his eye after his goalie flicked the puck and his follow through slashed him right across the eye. As I needed any further evidence to never play without a full cage, which I've always done. Just not worth it.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Was gone full steam after the puck, then catching an edge around the faceoff dot, and spiralled backwards feet first into the boards. Luckily didn't break anything, but could feel the strain on my ankle and the bone connecting to it and was unable to put any pressure on it. Walked gingerly with a limp for days. Tried playing on it again two weeks later, and as soon as I stepped on the ice my leg just gave out underneath me. I slipped as if it were akin to trying to skate after losing your skate blade.

Didn't happen to me, but I've seen a guy lose his eye after his goalie flicked the puck and his follow through slashed him right across the eye. As I needed any further evidence to never play without a full cage, which I've always done. Just not worth it.

Had a similar thing happen to me a month ago. Playing ball hockey, I go on one leg to take a shot while sprinting full speed. A guy shoves me from the side and my knee buckled. Couldn't walk back home, it was a nasty sprain.

I re-injured myself twice trying to play just 2 weeks after the original injury, last occurence being this Sunday.

I think you and I should give our legs a rest for about a month or something.

 

[CBJx614]

As far as injuries go, it wasn't anything special.

I think it was the summer after 8th grade and my dad had been talking to the coaches for the AAA team and they told him I was a shoe in for one of the goalie spots...

And then I go to play in my 3 on 3 summer league... And then I break my ****ing finger on a shot during warm-ups.


Don't make the team and never really had a chance to make it again.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Not a major one, but I got hit and fell on my elbow. Couldn't move my arm for a solid minute. Had to drop my stick and go straight to the bench.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

One of the worst injuries I ever got was a pulled hamstring. I obviously didn't stretch enough before playing, and I was skating back into my zone on defense to whip up some momentum and then turn around to face the oncoming forwards.

Just as I was turning by body around, just at that right moment of greatest level of torque and perfect positioning, with all of my weight on that single muscle, my hamstring felt like it was plucked by a giant hand playing harp on my backside.

The pain was excruciating, and I limped off the ice helped by teamates. I immediately went to the nearest pharmacy to buy a bottle of naproxen sodium and a bag of ice, which I placed under my hamstring as I drove myself home.

I could not extend my leg fully, the pain was too great.

I had a deep red/blue bruise the size of a softball on the back of my thigh for the next few weeks.

 

[bucks_oil]

No real injuries playing hockey... unless you count one minor concussion. All of my injuries came from soccer or MTBiking... again go figure. I'm pretty ashamed of the list (was not careful in my youth):

1) Snowboarding: Spiral fracture to humerus - not funny
1) Soccer: Broken wrist stopping a penalty shot that "handcuffed" me in close to my chest
2) Soccer: Torn PCL in knee
3) Soccer: Hyphema (bleeding of the retina) from a ball to the eye - was blind for a week in one eye
4A) Soccer: Major concussion number 1, knocked out & short term memory lost
4B) Soccer: Broken clavicle (same injury as above)
4C) Soccer: Rib subluxation e.g. dislocated 3 ribs from my spine (same injury as above)
4D) Soccer: Chipped metacarpal in wrist (same injury as above)
5) Soccer: Major concussion 2 - unconscious again, in hospital again, memory loss. Advised to quit... I moved down a few divisions
6) Soccer: Major concussion 3 - unconscious again, in hospital again, memory loss... but I did manage to get the number of the attending med student. Of course I forgot to call her
7) Soccer: Torn ACL - finally quit soccer and stuck to hockey, too dangerous!
8) MTbiking: Fractured two ribs mountain biking, played goal in hockey a week later to win my beer league (haha)
9) Hockey: minor concussion in hockey, puck to the side of the mask

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

No real injuries playing hockey... unless you count one minor concussion. All of my injuries came from soccer or MTBiking... again go figure. I'm pretty ashamed of the list (was not careful in my youth):

1) Snowboarding: Spiral fracture to humerus - not funny
1) Soccer: Broken wrist stopping a penalty shot that "handcuffed" me in close to my chest
2) Soccer: Torn PCL in knee
3) Soccer: Hyphema (bleeding of the retina) from a ball to the eye - was blind for a week in one eye
4A) Soccer: Major concussion number 1, knocked out & short term memory lost
4B) Soccer: Broken clavicle (same injury as above)
4C) Soccer: Rib subluxation e.g. dislocated 3 ribs from my spine (same injury as above)
4D) Soccer: Chipped metacarpal in wrist (same injury as above)
5) Soccer: Major concussion 2 - unconscious again, in hospital again, memory loss. Advised to quit... I moved down a few divisions
6) Soccer: Major concussion 3 - unconscious again, in hospital again, memory loss... but I did manage to get the number of the attending med student. Of course I forgot to call her
7) Soccer: Torn ACL - finally quit soccer and stuck to hockey, too dangerous!
8) MTbiking: Fractured two ribs mountain biking, played goal in hockey a week later to win my beer league (haha)
9) Hockey: minor concussion in hockey, puck to the side of the mask

That's just nuts. I thought I was injury prone but this is just next level stuff. Are you sure you're not related to Beau Bennett?

 

[Maplebeasts]

As a Bantam when I used to play for my hometown AA Barrie Colts, I ended up driving the net at full speed with the puck, only to get tripped by an imposing player and sent into the boards legs first. As I was tripped near the net I didn't quite have the time to get up. I ended up severely breaking my ankle, and had issues with ankle rotation and strength for a year after the incident. Only injury I had playing hockey but it sucked.

 

[bucks_oil]

That's just nuts. I thought I was injury prone but this is just next level stuff. Are you sure you're not related to Beau Bennett?

Haha... yeah... well, I guess this is just what can happen when you come up on the wrong side of this equation:

Size < Talent < Common Sense < Competitiveness/Try-hard effort

I was a bird-framed 165 pound stubborn guy and it took me a while to figure out I was better off using my brain than scrambling it.

Knock on wood, those days are behind me... only the fluke rib injury and one minor bell-ringing in the last 5 years

 

[bucks_oil]

As far as injuries go, it wasn't anything special.

I think it was the summer after 8th grade and my dad had been talking to the coaches for the AAA team and they told him I was a shoe in for one of the goalie spots...

And then I go to play in my 3 on 3 summer league... And then I break my ****ing finger on a shot during warm-ups.


Don't make the team and never really had a chance to make it again.

Ugh... heart-breaking. I feel that.

Was similar for me with my broken wrist. Was my season to become the starter for my university team, was practicing with my summer club team which included some ex-pros. Last practice of the year before training camp begins at school and we're doing a penalty shoot-out competition to determine who will buy the beers for our going away thing. One of them breaks my wrist with a water-logged ball.

 

[bucks_oil]

Had a similar thing happen to me a month ago. Playing ball hockey, I go on one leg to take a shot while sprinting full speed. A guy shoves me from the side and my knee buckled. Couldn't walk back home, it was a nasty sprain.

I re-injured myself twice trying to play just 2 weeks after the original injury, last occurence being this Sunday.

I think you and I should give our legs a rest for about a month or something.

Don't mess with your knees... (or head)... those are the least recoverable injuries if you don't treat them properly.

Also, get yourself a good balance board. I have one at work and one at home and I don't even wear my knee brace anymore... they are awesome for prevention (and agility/balance)

 

[bucks_oil]

Took a direct puck to the eye from a shot from some guy that panicked cause i was stripping him all night at the point. Puck came off the blade, under my visor and hit me. Partly my fault too, as I had the visor pushed up slightly due to fog.

Dropped to the ice in pain and was almost out of it. Opened my eye and couldn't see anything. Swelled up fast and was rushed to emergency. Docs thought i was going to lose my eye. Fortunately, there was a doc in town who has consulted on Sundin and Berards injury. So he was contacted and they were able to figure out a way to bring pressure down and stabilize the eye for the night.

Due to the impact, i had holes in my retina and a slight fracture to my skull/orbital bone. Was pretty much blind in one eye for a couple months after the surgeries. To this day vision is still blurry and off. But at least i can see! Last year, due to cataracts coming due to the trauma, they inserted a lens to get rid of the issue.

Yuck... scary stuff.

Though on the plus side, that injury to the retina would have put you at high risk for glaucoma, which puts you on a list for a medical marijuana card... though with recent legislations, that probably isn't such a plus anymore.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Don't mess with your knees... (or head)... those are the least recoverable injuries if you don't treat them properly.

Also, get yourself a good balance board. I have one at work and one at home and I don't even wear my knee brace anymore... they are awesome for prevention (and agility/balance)

I've had a mild concussion when I was 14, but I've never had knee issues before. I stopped all physical activities for about a month, except going to the gym for chest and back workouts. I don't have any issues walking, I can even jump or run a little bit, but my joint still feels unstable. I wonder how long it will take to get back into place. Apparently, it can take up to 3 months to fully recover from a knee sprain.

 

[bucks_oil]

I've had a mild concussion when I was 14, but I've never had knee issues before. I stopped all physical activities for about a month, except going to the gym for chest and back workouts. I don't have any issues walking, I can even jump or run a little bit, but my joint still feels unstable. I wonder how long it will take to get back into place. Apparently, it can take up to 3 months to fully recover from a knee sprain.

Did you get it looked at by a doc? If it is REAL instability you might need to tighten that puppy up.

As for doing no exercise at all... that wouldn't be my approach. (Again you should talk to your doc, but) My physio for the torn ACL included getting onto a stationary bike and then balance board (initially while holding a railing) and doing knee bends/squats and such pretty quickly after surgery.

The last thing you want to do is weaken your supporting muscles in your leg through inactivity and then race full speed back into contact sports once the pain/swelling go away.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Did you get it looked at by a doc? If it is REAL instability you might need to tighten that puppy up.

As for doing no exercise at all... that wouldn't be my approach. (Again you should talk to your doc, but) My physio for the torn ACL included getting onto a stationary bike and then balance board (initially while holding a railing) and doing knee bends/squats and such pretty quickly after surgery.

The last thing you want to do is weaken your supporting muscles in your leg through inactivity and then race full speed back into contact sports once the pain/swelling go away.

I'll go and see a sports medicine doctor for rehab exercises. I won't jump back into play without taking proper time to regain my full strength and stability. I'd assume the rehab exercises would include what you mentioned. My knee is mostly healed, I rarely think about it anymore.

 

[Bondoao1]

Took a direct puck to the eye from a shot from some guy that panicked cause i was stripping him all night at the point. Puck came off the blade, under my visor and hit me. Partly my fault too, as I had the visor pushed up slightly due to fog.

Dropped to the ice in pain and was almost out of it. Opened my eye and couldn't see anything. Swelled up fast and was rushed to emergency. Docs thought i was going to lose my eye. Fortunately, there was a doc in town who has consulted on Sundin and Berards injury. So he was contacted and they were able to figure out a way to bring pressure down and stabilize the eye for the night.

Due to the impact, i had holes in my retina and a slight fracture to my skull/orbital bone. Was pretty much blind in one eye for a couple months after the surgeries. To this day vision is still blurry and off. But at least i can see! Last year, due to cataracts coming due to the trauma, they inserted a lens to get rid of the issue.

Now I know I'm not the only person who got a cataract from a head injury playing hockey.

This was the injury that caused a cataract in my eye.
http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=127249383&postcount=15

 

[Billdo]

Two concussions, the last effectively ending my hockey playing days. After that any semi hard hit would cause an intense headache that lasted a few seconds to a few mins but it just wasn't worth it anymore.

 

[DJN21]

I had a very strange one before. Was involved in a chippy men's league game (none of which was I even involved with). Was facing the wall digging a puck out and a guy from the other team just planted me in the numbers from behind. I reacted rather quickly and got a hand up to brace the impact against the wall and my hand actually went through the gap in the 2 glass panes and got stuck. The pressure of my wrist being caught between the panes was incredibly painful. Strained my wrist really badly and blew all the blood vessels around my whole wrist. The ref had to come and pry the glass panes apart enough for me to squeeze my hand back through. The play went on without stoppage and me pinned in the glass lol. The game later got halted for 10 minutes to fix the panes I had popped loose. Very very strange one.

Worst I've seen was someone fall face first onto a skate blade and cut their eye ball open...real bad.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

I had a very strange one before. Was involved in a chippy men's league game (none of which was I even involved with). Was facing the wall digging a puck out and a guy from the other team just planted me in the numbers from behind. I reacted rather quickly and got a hand up to brace the impact against the wall and my hand actually went through the gap in the 2 glass panes and got stuck. The pressure of my wrist being caught between the panes was incredibly painful. Strained my wrist really badly and blew all the blood vessels around my whole wrist. The ref had to come and pry the glass panes apart enough for me to squeeze my hand back through. The play went on without stoppage and me pinned in the glass lol. The game later got halted for 10 minutes to fix the panes I had popped loose. Very very strange one.

Worst I've seen was someone fall face first onto a skate blade and cut their eye ball open...real bad.

This is why anyone not wearing a full cage to play recreational hockey in a league is a fool.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Great thread for me.

My skates shall remain hung up. I'm too damn old anyway.

Worst was a very deep thigh bruise. I could hardly walk for a week and missed two games. I tried to split the defense on a 1 on 2 and nearly got my thigh split in two by a very effective hip check. Left a gigantic hematoma on my thigh. Not a pleasant experience.

Saw more than a few eye injuries. Masks weren't mandatory in my area until I was in 8th grade.

 

[ReggieRed]

Not my "worst" hockey injury, but my current one...has anyone ever acquired tennis elbow from playing hockey? I am playing in a summer league and started to experience pain in my right elbow after games several weeks ago. I didn't remember doing anything during the game (falling or hitting the elbow against something), but after games it was mildly painful and the rest of the week the elbow was painful when lifting things with my right arm. With ice and consciously trying to not use it around the house, it had started to calm down. Then last week it flared up again pretty badly...the first time I actually noticed it during the game. The most pain seemed to be caused by stick-to-stick contact, which would send vibrations up the shaft of the stick and cause a fair amount of pain in the elbow. Shooting or stick-handling doesn't seem to bother it. Is there any sort of vibration dampener that people have used on the shaft of their stick? I may have to sit for the first few weeks of fall session to get this cleared up as I don't want it to continue to linger has it makes doing other things around the house painful as well.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Not my "worst" hockey injury, but my current one...has anyone ever acquired tennis elbow from playing hockey? I am playing in a summer league and started to experience pain in my right elbow after games several weeks ago. I didn't remember doing anything during the game (falling or hitting the elbow against something), but after games it was mildly painful and the rest of the week the elbow was painful when lifting things with my right arm. With ice and consciously trying to not use it around the house, it had started to calm down. Then last week it flared up again pretty badly...the first time I actually noticed it during the game. The most pain seemed to be caused by stick-to-stick contact, which would send vibrations up the shaft of the stick and cause a fair amount of pain in the elbow. Shooting or stick-handling doesn't seem to bother it. Is there any sort of vibration dampener that people have used on the shaft of their stick? I may have to sit for the first few weeks of fall session to get this cleared up as I don't want it to continue to linger has it makes doing other things around the house painful as well.

I did. That was when I used to take over 300 shots per day for practice.Slap shot after slap shot and you get a tennis elbow. It's caused by repetitive movement. Do you have some Naproxen at home? It should ease the pain while you wait to see a doctor. There are elbow braces for tennis elbows, that helps too.

I'm not a doctor, so take my advice FWIW.

 

[4thline]

Escaped largely unscathed for the way I played,

-who knows how many times "bell rung", 2-3 no doubter minor concussions,
-4 stitches above the eye from glancing blow off the dasher board on outset of a fight
-weird recurring knee thing, most of a season where it would either seize up with a deep ache or just kind of give out when loaded up under/into contact
-second last game of junior dislocated shoulder at the end of a fight when liney's piled on. Played my final game, popped it back before class the next day.

Nothing scary, I got lucky.

Counting road hockey by far the scariest (with cool side effect) was taking a stick to the eye in grade 4 causing hyphema. Reflection in the mirror looked cool (slitted pupil, iris filled with blood), thinking I was blind in one eye was terrifying

 

[Nvxs07]

Bumping this. Dislocated my shoulder again last week. Now out three months. This is the 2nd time this year so now my confidence is shot, i really don’t want to play, and it’s been a week and I’m still somewhat sore. Any tips?

 

[Heldig]

No real injuries playing hockey... unless you count one minor concussion. All of my injuries came from soccer or MTBiking... again go figure. I'm pretty ashamed of the list (was not careful in my youth):

1) Snowboarding: Spiral fracture to humerus - not funny
1) Soccer: Broken wrist stopping a penalty shot that "handcuffed" me in close to my chest
2) Soccer: Torn PCL in knee
3) Soccer: Hyphema (bleeding of the retina) from a ball to the eye - was blind for a week in one eye
4A) Soccer: Major concussion number 1, knocked out & short term memory lost
4B) Soccer: Broken clavicle (same injury as above)
4C) Soccer: Rib subluxation e.g. dislocated 3 ribs from my spine (same injury as above)
4D) Soccer: Chipped metacarpal in wrist (same injury as above)
5) Soccer: Major concussion 2 - unconscious again, in hospital again, memory loss. Advised to quit... I moved down a few divisions
6) Soccer: Major concussion 3 - unconscious again, in hospital again, memory loss... but I did manage to get the number of the attending med student. Of course I forgot to call her
7) Soccer: Torn ACL - finally quit soccer and stuck to hockey, too dangerous!
8) MTbiking: Fractured two ribs mountain biking, played goal in hockey a week later to win my beer league (haha)
9) Hockey: minor concussion in hockey, puck to the side of the mask

I resemble this list. I am always mildly surprised to hear other athletes dont have a litany of injuries. My most gruesome hockey injury was having a skate slice through my ear.