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Cody Franson briefly believed he was blinded

Nashville Predators v Colorado Avalanche

DENVER, CO - MARCH 31: Cody Franson #4 of the Nashville Predators warms up prior to facing the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on March 31, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Rinne had 27 saves as the Nashville Predators defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3-2. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

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The list of NHL players who’ve taken a puck, stick or some other object to their eyes is longer than it should be. For some, those horrible accidents ended their careers. Others (see: Bryan Berard) never were really the same while a lucky group managed to dodge that bullet.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Cody Franson appears to be one of those fortunate types, but as Dave Feschuk reveals, there were some tense moments when it didn’t seem that way.

In an unlikely instant, the butt end belonging to teammate Tim Connolly had somehow found its way through the slot between Franson’s protective visor and his face. Five seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds passed, and Franson saw nothing but black through his injured left eye.

Franson recounted the incident in interesting detail.

“That was scary to me, not being able to see for 15 or 20 seconds,” Franson said. “I was nervous at first. I didn’t know what to feel. It felt like my eyeball kind of got pushed back into the socket a bit.”

“It’s kind of like that ‘Don’t Drink and Drive’ commercial where they put the three glasses (in front of the camera). You see (three of everything) and you just pick the middle one ... But you’re just glad you can see. I was very fortunate.”

Now that it’s clear Franson is OK, I must admit that his comment about his eye “kind of getting pushed back into the socket” reminds me of Mac’s dog “Poppins” from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

Franson revealed that he was lucky enough to only have some scratches on his nose and eyelid. Speaking of scratches, it’s unclear if the injury or just his place in the Maple Leafs’ fold might keep out of the lineup in the next game or two, but it’s likely that the former Nashville Predators blueliner feels a lot more fortunate today than he did before Wednesday.