They say hockey is a sport of attrition, and so far this pre-season, it seems to be living up to that billing.
The latest victim is Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal. The team announced that Staal suffered a broken bone in his leg during last night's pre-season bout with the Buffalo Sabres.
Staal was apparently on the ice for several minutes before being helped to the locker room. He was unable to put any weight on his leg.
Reports after the game said that Staal was on crutches in the locker room and had a cast on his leg. Coach Bill Peters told reporters he was "concerned" about the severity of the injury.
Then, the news came today that x-rays revealed the broken bone.
Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Hurricanes, Ron Francis, made the announcement, with a timetable yet to be determined for Staal's return.
Staal was apparently injured during the third period of the team's 2-0 loss when he got tangled with Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges.
Staal will return to Raleigh with the rest of the team and will be evaluated by doctors on Thursday.
The 26-year-old won the 2009 Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and has played in every game the past two seasons after being traded to Carolina from Pittsburgh, but that streak is now sure to end.
Staal is a strong two-way player who provides much needed help in the defensive zone and above-average scoring capabilities. On a Hurricane team that is already lacking in depth, Staal's presence will surely be missed.
It's hard to say when a player gets injured that they're lucky to have "only" broken a bone, but the silver lining to this situation has to be that it wasn't a knee injury, as some initially feared. A broken bone can heal fairly quickly, whereas damage to a ligament can lead to a lost season and a year plus of recovery time.
