Nasty Hit will have Lasting Effect on Flyers and Rangers
It happens from time to time in hockey, two players will be focused on getting someplace without really seeing what’s coming in front of them, in this case Brendan Shanahan was trying to get to the bench for a line change, Mike Knuble skating up ice - the result, a bone crushing meeting, literally.
The wicked accidental collision between the Rangers Brendan Shanahan and the Flyers Mike Knuble that came in the third period of Saturday’s game is going to impact both teams for what could be quite a while.
Often, seemingly violent collisions on the ice appear much worse than they actually are, that was not the case in this incident. Ranger forward Shanahan lay unconcious on the ice for nearly ten minutes before being fitted for a neck brace and being wheeled off on a stretcher. He sustained a concussion and would end up spending Saturday night in the hospital for monitoring.
Mike Knuble’s injuries were more extensive, he suffered a broken cheek bone and a broken orbital bone. Knuble will undergo surgery to repair the damage and is expected to miss at least four weeks of action, and though he’ll be missed by the Flyers, his absence won’t have much of an effect on the Flyers playoff hopes, which ended shortly after the season began.
Shanahan’s injury will be much more painful to his team. The Rangers are fighting for position for a playoff spot, they are currently sitting in eleventh place, a few points away from a berth with just over twenty games left. Shanahan who leads the Rangers in goals will definitely miss the two upcoming games with the rival New Jersey Devils, and he may very well be out beyond the end of the month.
If New York doesn’t get some players to step up in a big way through this Shanahanless stretch of very tough opponents they could very well find themselves on the golf course with the Flyers come the post season.
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