Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson avoided serious damage after taking a skate to the face midway through the third period of Friday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.
It was a scary moment on the ice as the right skate of Ryan Kesler struck Atkinson in the face inadvertently when the Ducks center lunged forward to reach the puck, causing his leg to kick up in the air. Atkinson immediately fell to the ice clutching his face, but fortunately, the early reports about his injury are encouraging.
According to the Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Poltzine, the skate blade caught Atkinson just beneath his eye, so he “did not sustain any damage” to his right eye. Here is a link to the play, but be warned it’s difficult to watch.
After the game, the 25-year-old, who walked out from the trainer’s room with a bag of ice and bandages covering his eye, was certainly shaken up, but also thankful that the damage wasn’t worse.
“I can see,” Atkinson said per Poltzine. “Thank God I can see. It went right across my eyelid. If it goes through my eyelid …”
Head coach Todd Richards added there is no serious concern right now, according to Blue Jackets website reporter Rob Mixer, which was evident by him feeling comfortable enough to joke about the matter following the Ducks’ 4-1 win.
“He’s not as pretty as he once was, but he’s in good spirits,” Mixer said after the game.
Atkinson’s status remains unknown, however, as he told Poltzine he has more doctors visits ahead of him. The cut took “many stitches” to close, Atkinson added, and while the Blue Jackets play the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, the young forward was concerned about calling his parents back in Connecticut first and foremost.
Photo via Ed Szczepanski/USA TODAY Sports Images
