Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Joni Pitkanen left Tuesday’s contest with the Washington after this ugly incident on an icing play with Caps forward Troy Brouwer:
There was no word at the time of the severity of Pitkanen’s injury.
The 29-year-old blueliner has one goal and eight assists in 22 games with the Hurricanes this season. He’d already missed extensive time with a lower-body injury.
Tim Gleason, Bobby Sanguinetti and Jiri Tlusty helped wheel Pitkanen off in the stretcher to a strong applause from the PNC Arena crowd.
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Kurtis Foster, who suffered a serious leg injury on an icing race a few years ago, contacted Mike Russo of the Minnesota Star-Tribune shortly after the Pitkanen injury:Text from Kurtis Foster: “Now that a star like Pitkanen hurt on icing, when is it enough?? No need for it anymore!!!!!!!!” #nhlpa #nhl
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) April 3, 2013