Weird Hockey Injuries That Didn’t Happen on the Ice

Hockey is known for being a rough sport. It is the definition of full contact. I don’t think I’ve ever met a hockey player who had all his teeth. Hockey players are notorious for getting in fights and getting injured. So, I’ve dug up a list of professional hockey players, who sustained injuries off the ice, instead of on.

Glenn Healy, of the New York Islanders, got a deep cut on his hand while he was cleaning his beloved bag pipe.

The NHL’s top goaltender of 1988 John Vanbiesbrouck sliced his wrist and three tendons when his glass coffee table he was sitting on gave way while he was checking out his new video camera.

St. Louis goalie Rich Parent was hit so hard by a puck that his cup broke and he had to undergo emergency surgery for a ruptured testicle. His teammate hit him with the puck during pregame warm-ups. Yes, he was able to father children.

Wade Belak, a hulk of a man, missed a game due to a swollen ankle from a spider bite.

Doug Wickenheiser missed a season and a half due to a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee, which he sustained when he fell out of the back of a pickup and was run over by another car. His team had been on a “snipe hunt” hazing for two new players. When the players left a pizza joint after the “hunt,” they climbed into the back of a truck.

Vancouver’s Brent Sopel, missed a playoff game because he was having back spasms from bending over to pick up a cracker his daughter had dropped on the floor.

Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers, broke his ankle when he slipped on the ice. The ice on a sidewalk that is, when he was exiting a taxi outside his home.

If you enjoy hockey, or just want to see what the fuss is all about, then you can join us at the The Ranch Club for the first-ever Missoula Pond Hockey Tournament. The tournament will be held Saturday Feb. 2 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday Feb. 3 from 6 a.m. to noon. If you want to watch some great hockey for free or to register your team for the tournament (just $300) then click on the link below.

Joy Larson is a mother of four boys, graduate of The University of Montana, animal lover and writer.