Arm cut forces Detroit Red Wings’ centre Darren Helm out of playoffs-NHL News
It is rather unfortunate for Darren Helm as well as for Detroit Red Wings’ that the centre’s arm injury has forced him out of the playoffs of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) season, as confirmed by the team officials on Thursday, 12, 2012.
Helm was injured in the game 1 of the first round of the playoff series against the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, April 11, 2012, which they lost with two to three (2-3) goals difference.
He played the game for exactly three minutes and eight seconds (3:08) and was seen rushing to the sidelines after dropping his gloves on the ice.
Later, he went to the team’s dressing room and did not show up for the entire game.
Detroit’s coach, Mike Babcock, confirmed that the player had a cut on his arm, which possibly will require him a surgery. The cut is said to have come from the skate of Predators’ winger, Alexander Radulov.
The coach said of the incident:
"He had his forearm cut, that's why he's at the hospital - we don't know to what extent, or how severe, if any tendons or anything like that are cut. I don't know that. But it was pretty severe. I mean, as soon as it happened, he skated straight to the bench
and we were on a penalty kill. He'd never do that. And then they took him from the game right away.”
Now, the player has been confirmed to be out of the playoffs, which comes as another setback to his present season’s run.
Helm already missed the last ten games of the regular season after he reportedly sprained a medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Predator’s was his first game since return from the previous injury.
Helm was Wings’ second player to have suffered an injury in the playoffs against Predators. Their forward, Henrik Zetterberg, was the other player who received a hit from Nashville Predators’ defenseman, Shea Weber.
The hit resulted in smashing Zetterberg’s head into the glass, which cracked his helmet.
The player was lucky to have avoided the possibility of an injury as serious as concussion and said to be feeling fine. He was also put through the baseline test for concussion, but no such injury has been reported.
Weber, meanwhile, has received a fine of $2500 with a stark warning from NHL office over the hit, which is also linked to his future conduct. The office has warned him to avoid any foul for the rest of the playoffs.
Overall, it was a rather disappointing start to Detroit Red Wings playoff campaign. They lost the game as well as two players to respective injuries. They were only lucky to have escaped the possibility of the injury to Zetterberg as serious as Helm’s.
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