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Minnesota Wild captain Mikko Koivu was involved in a scary incident when the skate of his own teammate came up and sliced his chin open. Koivu received 10 (big) stitches, but should be fine to play tomorrow's game vs. the Canucks.
In the Minnesota Wild's wild win over the Edmonton Oilers last night, Wild captain Mikko Koivu was clipped under the chin by the skate his teammate Dany Heatley and had to leave the game. As his chin oozed, Koivu actually played through it for a little bit before realizing how much of a real bloody mess it could've been:
"Obviously, when I knew it was the skate that hit me and you feel some blood, it was a little bit scary," Koivu said Friday following a UBC practice when asked to recall the third-period sequence that started when Heatley was high-sticked by Shawn Horcoff.
"I didn't know it was that bad. I then thought it was better to go off. It's a serious injury and anything could have happened. "Things happen so fast and you really can't think about it when you play the game. It's just stitches and it will heal. I feel pretty good and obviously a little bit sore."
Had the cut been a little lower, Koivu could have experienced an even scarier incident similar to what happened to Montreal Canadien goalie Clint Malarchuk in 1989. Malarchuk had his internal carotid artery sliced open by a skate and would have bled to death if it weren't for a trainer quickly pinching the artery shut until it was stitched closed.
Koivu's injury isn't nearly as serious, though it could've been. He received 10 stitches and sat out the Wild's practice today in Vancouver, but he is expected to play in tomorrow's game vs. the Canucks.
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PICTURE: Minnesota Wild's Mikko Koivu Takes Skate To The Chin
by Brian Packey
Minnesota Wild captain Mikko Koivu nearly experienced his own scary Richard Zednik or Clint Malarchuk moment when the skate of his teammate Dany Heatley came up and clipped him on the chin, resulting in quite the cut and, of course, blood. Koivu had a pretty gruesome gash, which took 10 stitches all the way across to mend, but thankfully it was nothing serious like his internal carotid artery or jugular being severed.
Here's a not so high-def still shot of his teammate Heatley's skate coming up and catching his captain on the chin:
You can watch video of the incident here.
Koivu called it an "accident" after the game and says he's only a little sore. While Koivu missed the team's skate around in Vancouver on Friday, he is expected to play on Saturday vs. the Canucks.
Heatley made up for injuring his team's captain by scoring with 1.2 seconds left in regulation and then netting the game-winner in the shootout vs. the Oilers for a 2-1 Wild win.
Oct 21 7:35p