Wednesday: Muzzin was discharged from the hospital overnight but according to the Maple Leafs, he will not be available for the duration of the series against the Blue Jackets as a result of his injury. He will remain in quarantine within the hotel before rejoining teammates “upon recovery.”
This is a huge blow for the Maple Leafs as they try to defeat Columbus in the qualification round, but the entire hockey world can breathe a sigh of relief that Muzzin has been discharged and is on the road to recovery.
In the meantime, the Maple Leafs will likely look to Martin Marincin or Rasmus Sandin to take his place in the lineup when they hit the ice tomorrow for game three.
Tuesday: Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin has been taken to hospital after suffering what appeared to be a neck injury late in their 3-0 victory over Columbus to tie the series at one apiece. The team released the following statement via their Twitter account:
Maple Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin was transported to hospital following an on-ice collision in the third period tonight. He is alert and able to move all limbs. Further updates will be provided once available.
The incident occurred with roughly two minutes remaining in regulation. After taking a cross-check from Pierre-Luc Dubois, Muzzin bounced off the boards while on his knees. However, his head collided with Oliver Bjorkstrand while in that position which caused the injury. Muzzin tried to get up on his own but team doctors eventually decided to take him off on a stretcher as a precaution.
This is the first known instance of a player being taken to hospital following an in-game injury since the NHL started to play in the bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton. Accordingly, there are some questions as to how long Muzzin may have to miss as a result of leaving the bubble although, of course, at this point, the focus is simply on making sure he’s okay first and foremost. While the usual process would be four negative tests in as many days, TSN’s Frank Seravalli notes (Twitter link) that there is no set protocol in place for this scenario. Instead, it will be up to the Hub Medical Director who will decide based on Muzzin’s exposure outside of the bubble.
The Sportsnet announcer said during the game that there are medical facilities “in the bubble” so Muzzin might not have to miss time because of a quarantine.
The injury that led to him being taken off (very very very very slowly, hopefully because of excessive caution rather than incompetence) is a much bigger worry.
“The sportsnet announcer” anyone who watches hockey in Canada and doesn’t know who Jim Hughson is doesn’t know hockey
Yeah, Jim Hughson, the Sportsnet play by play guy. You know, the guy with no emotion who announces the action as if he’s reading it from a teleprompter.
The most excited I’ve seen him is in the Pepsi commercial (with a Lloyd Christmas haircut) where he’s forced to sound energetic
Sorry, bud…in the US, Jim Hughson is just a video game character.
Indeed, the only real person is yourself. Everyone else is just part of a greater computer simulation that you are battling to determine the true nature of your existence.
This is also why it is important to question if medical staff move slowly because of caution or incompetence. They might have been faultily programmed.
Is he still faking it Mike Milbury???
That was honestly disgusting to listen to. He said that as he’s clearly going through spinal testing to determine his sensation & motor function.
No… wait, did Milbury make a fool of himself? Better add that to the volumes of diaries documenting every time that has happened.
Per NHL.com: “The Maple Leafs defenseman fell chest-first onto the skate of Blue Jackets forward Oliver Bjorkstrand to the right behind the Toronto goal.”
Per Brian, here: “Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin has been taken to hospital after suffering what appeared to be a neck injury…”
It appears Brian’s got it right, based on the consistent reports of being stretchered off the ice. Any violent head/neck injury requires immobilization, so that would explain the deliberate non-rushed treatment. Regardless, we all hope Muzzin is not seriously injured and wish him a speedy recovery. Speaking from experience, neck injuries are no laughing matter.
Makes you wonder what the NHL was looking at. Muzzin’s head clearly hit Bjorkstrand’s knee/thigh area. Where did they get chest first onto the skate?
@Eric – Good question. After all, it is NHL.com, not somerandomguywatchingtv.com. Their writers usually get stories straight and are often the first cited for other sites.
Guys, in defense of @forwhomjoshbelltolls, not everybody gets that deep into broadcasts to get intimately familiar with the PxP and Color guys. They still watch the games much the same as the rest of us, but the TV or Radio folks’ names are much less important to them. It could be just cocktail party trivia for them to know those details, but they’re still fans of the Coolest Game on Earth, just in their way. Personally, I like to get as familiar as I can with the broadcasters, much like many of you. But, that’s not everybody’s cup of tea.
that’s no big deal, can you defend why medical staff are said to be possibly “incompetent” because they did not move faster?
@neo – I would simply point to the low-percentage possibility of malpractice/negligence. Possible, but generally fairly rare. Someone who brings that up may have experienced a situation themselves, or maybe saw it happen to a friend or relative. That kind of thing can stick with you for the rest of your life, hence that perspective.
Sure, I can relate to that. My mother died from an infection following heart surgery perhaps to an error by her medical team, and then I saw a lot of crap happen following that. Pumping full of antibiotics, sending her home. Repeat, repeat, and after the second discharge two weeks then sepsis and her brain was gone. Anyhow, harping about a medical team handling a matter for 15 minutes at the ice when the complaint stems likely from wanting his game to resume is not likely sensitive to how much medical staff are not perfect or even capable, just that they aren’t faster at their jobs to get the entertainment back.
There are reasons to be sensitive that medical staff can fail horribly and have awful consequences. But is there something that happened with muzzin to trigger that kind of response?
@neo – Certainly all medical personnel deserve the benefit of the doubt, since they some of the hardest jobs on earth. Is there something that happened with Muzzin to trigger that kind of response? Only @forwhomjoshbelltolls knows. Maybe it struck a nerve for him, I can only guess. Since my cousin-in-law is a doctor and I’m acquainted with many in our local medical community, my view is a bit different.