“The silence of a hockey rink can be a terrifying thing,” tweeted Toronto Star columnist Bruce Arthur earlier this evening. Arthur was referring to the silent Pepsi Center in Denver, where Toronto Maple Leafs forward Daniel Winnik lay motionless on the ice for a few minutes before being stretchered off the ice in a game against the Colorado Avalanche. Winnik, who joined the Leafs this off-season on a 1-year, 1.3-million dollar deal, was hit awkwardly by Colorado Avalanche defenceman Jan Hejda and landed very scarily on his head/neck. A fairly unassuming hit, it seems unlikely Hejda will face discipline from the league’s player safety department. He left the game with what’s being obviously classified as an upper-body injury. We will attempt to keep this article updated on Winnik’s health as updates come from official outlets and recognized media twitter feeds. The 29 year-old Toronto-native reflected one week ago in a tweet on how grateful he was to have the opportunity to suit up for his hometown team.
265, thats the pick i was in the 2004 draft. 11, is the # of players who’ve played 500 games from that draft, now im the 12th. #grateful — daniel winnik (@Danwinnik34) November 1, 2014
The former University of New Hampshire Wildcat has developed into a dependable NHL-level checker, having spent time with five teams in eight seasons. The winger has enjoyed a noticeable offensive outburst in his first twelve games with the Leafs, posting a 1G/6A/7Pts stat line for 0.58 Points-per-Game, well above his career Pts/G rate of 0.21.
UPDATE:
Being told it’s very unlikely Winnik will go to hospital so that’s more good news… Robidas said that Daniel was walking around
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) November 7, 2014
Very good news.
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