The NHL has seen an unfortunate number of players taking slapshots to the face this season (Sidney Crosby and Marc Staal, to name a few).
Mark Fraser became the latest victim Wednesday night, when a one-timer off the stick of Boston’s Milan Lucic sent the Maple Leafs defenseman down to the ice in a heap. Fraser underwent surgery to repair a facial fracture in the cranial area — literally a broken face — and is expected to be replaced by John-Michael Liles in Friday’s potential series-clinching Game 5.
Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said Fraser is resting at home and is now “on the road to recovery.”
“He’s a physical guy that is not known for his offensive abilities, but he’s out there to make people pay the price and for his defensive ability,” Carlyle said Thursday. “Any time you lose a player like that, somebody else has to step up. As a team, if we can capture the energy and execution level and stay with the program, there will be some benefits for us in this next game.”
See the shot in the video below.
