Keeping an eye on injuries

Dec. 1, 1983

Calgary Flames winger Jamie Hislop carries the puck into the offensive zone when New York Islanders’ Anders Kallur attempts to lift his opponent’s stick, misses and clips him in the eye. Hislop returns late in the season to play nine games, but the injury essentially ends his career at age 30.

March 9, 1985

Montreal’s Pierre Mondou scores what would be the game-winning goal against the Hartford Whalers. As he goes to raise his arms in celebration, defenceman Ulf Samuelsson’s stick rides up the Canadiens forward’s sweater catching him in the eye. Mondou never plays another game and retires at age 29.

Nov. 7, 1998

New York Islanders prospect Jeff Libby is hit in the face by the skate of St. John’s Maple Leafs forward Mark Deyell during an AHL game. Libby loses his right eye, ending his playing career at age 25, with one career NHL game to his credit.

Sept. 21, 1999

Then-Vancouver Canucks defenceman Mattias Ohlund takes a deflected puck in his right eye during an exhibition game against the Ottawa Senators. He misses 55 games over two seasons and currently plays with the Tampa Bay Lightning, albeit with reduced vision.

Feb. 24, 2006

Anaheim Ducks prospect Jordan Smith is hit by a deflected puck shot by then-Manchester Monarch Jeff Tambellini during an AHL game. Smith loses his eye and is forced to retire from professional hockey. He currently plays for the Lakehead Thunderwolves of the CIS and is hoping to play in Europe next season.

Each player starts their story the same way. A specific date followed by the most intricate of details. It’s almost as if time slowed down in the seconds before their lives would be forever changed and stories entwined. Then again, it’s just as likely to do with how often they have replayed the incident in their minds.

"The scariest part was lying in the hospital just after it happened and before going in for surgery -they taped up both my eyes while they were waiting for the one eye to settle and I couldn’t see anything," recalls Hislop, now a pro scout with the Minnesota Wild. "It’s everyone’s worst nightmare. You hear people talking to you and recognize voices, but everything is black. I was lying there, in the dark, when your mind starts to wander. Am I ever going to see out of that eye again?"

Notice his thoughts weren’t about hockey. Life trumps all when your vision is on the line.

"People always ask, ‘What was it like? How did I feel?’ But forget about me, what about my wife?" says Mondou, who went on to coach the junior Canadiens and was a longtime scout with the NHL club. "She was pregnant and watching at home and to see her husband go down clutching his bloody face with an eye injury was very scary and very tough for her. For a month, I could not see. But it was just as much tough on her as me."

Before we go any further, one thing needs to be said. None of these players knows Manny Malhotra personally. They’ve seen the highlights and read the reports, but that’s as far as their knowledge of his situation extends. They are also just some of the dozen or more hockey players -Bryan Berard, Ryan McGill, Anders Hedberg, to name just a few -to be affected by an eye injury.

Wednesday will mark three weeks to the day since the Canucks centre was struck in the eye by a deflected puck, ending his season and putting his hockey career in question.

"It’s a very stressful time, as a player it’s very different than anything else you’ve ever been through," says Libby, who is now involved with the Portland Junior Pirates hockey program in Saco, Maine. "With other injuries you kind of know what to expect, but with this it’s very much the unknown. You have to be patient, it takes time before you really know anything or the extent of the damage. It’s hard on the mind, your life can change dramatically in an instant. It’s a fear that is completely different and bigger than hockey and affects your way of life."

Malhotra has yet to speak publicly and the team has taken a strict policy not to discuss the matter, although it’s the belief of those close to the situation that things are progressing nicely. Malhotra is in regular contact with his teammates and most recently was spotted in big black sunglasses taking in Vancouver’s game against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena on Saturday.

"He has great teammates, coaches and trainers that are going to be a big part of his recovery and they will all do a great job of making him feel comfortable and still be part of the team," says Ohlund, who has had one brief phone conversation with Malhotra in which he offered his support. "It’s very important for him to have his mind on something else right now.

"The key is to be patient, positive and when you have negative thoughts you have to fight them. That’s where his teammates will be [a] big help, keeping things loose and treating him as one of the guys as if nothing was the matter."

Smith said humour played a big part of his recovery and still does to this day. He joked he still has problems with depth-perception, sometimes missing the glass when pouring himself a glass of juice in the morning. Still, it hasn’t stopped him from being a CIS all-star and representing Canada at the World University Games despite missing an eye.

"It’s funny, some of my teammates tell me they try to walk around their apartments with an eye covered and sometimes they try and practise with one eye closed and they just couldn’t imagine, but you get used to it over time -I’ve never let it disable me," says Smith, whose injury led to the AHL adopting a rule that mandates all players wear visors. "It’s paramount to carry on with your everyday life -the day-to-day hockey stuff has to take a back seat for a while."

Gratitude is another big part of the healing process. As weird as it sounds.

"A guy I grew up playing with, Travis Roy, was paralyzed 11 seconds into his first shift with Boston College and still can’t walk," said Libby. "That happened months before I lost my eye and I remember my dad telling me ‘Before you feel bad for yourself, Travis would love to be in your position.’ After that I never felt bad for myself. No way. God knows, it can always be worse."

March 16, 2011

Manny Malhotra takes a deflected puck to the eye against the Colorado Avalanche ending his season. . To be continued.