After Bruins top-line right wing Nathan Horton was sidelined with a severe concussion from a late hit by Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome in Game 3, the Canucks have lost second-line wing Mason Raymond, who suffered a broken vertebrae in his back after being hit into the boards by Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk in the opening minute of Monday’s Game 6.
Rome received a four-game suspension for his hit, which also drew an interference major and game misconduct when it occurred. Boychuk was not penalized for his hit and the NHL has made no indication that he will face any supplemental discipline.
“I haven’t had any discussion with [the league] after [Monday] night,” Canucks president and general manager Mike Gillis said after the club’s return to Vancouver on Tuesday. “All I can tell you is my observations of the hit. I didn’t see the puck around him. I thought the Boston player used a can opener and drove him into the boards with enough force to break his back. That’s what I saw. I don’t have much more to say about that other than that observation.”
An obviously upset Gillis did have quite a bit more to say, though, especially when asked if he was disappointed with the lack of any punishment levied against Boychuk.
“I’m not in charge of supplementary discipline, so I’m not the right person to ask about that,” Gillis said. “I think when you see the severity of that injury, the way our doctors described it to me, [it’s] very, very dangerous and, you know, I’m always disappointed when you see any player get injured. I was asking [assistant GM] Laurence [Gilman] when the last time we saw a broken back occur in the NHL.
“I can’t recall it other than an incident here a number of years ago,” Gillis added in an apparent reference to Todd Bertuzzi‘s infamous attack on Steve Moore. “But it wasn’t a chipped vertebrae or cracked vertebrae [for Raymond]. It’s broken through the belly of his vertebrae, so it’s a very serious injury. You never want to see any player on any team have an injury like that.”
On that, the Bruins agreed.
“It’s unfortunate, I really hope he’s going to get better,” Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron said. “I’m not sure on all the details, but it’s something to do with his spine. You never want to hear anything like that, so I really hope that after rehab he’s going to be back 100 percent.”
That rehab process could be a lengthy one, as there were some initial fears about Raymond being able to walk. He appears clear of that danger, but is still expected to be out well into next season.
“Initially there was some very serious concern about [Raymond being able to walk],” Gillis said. “He did move after he had been on the ice for a period of time. He began to move his legs and I know when he got to the hospital, they were very concerned. If we get Mason Raymond back by November of next year, we will be very happy.”
With the severity of the injury, questions have been raised about why Raymond was not immobilized and taken off the ice on a stretcher. Instead, he was helped to his feet and led to the bench by several teammates and trainers.
“I don’t know why [he was not put on a stretcher],” Gillis said. “I’m unsure about that. I think it was because he began to move his feet and he had feeling. We wondered about that as well, but I haven’t had the chance to ask [Canucks trainer] Mike [Burnstein]. But our trainers are excellent trainers, so I’m sure they felt there was no risk at that point because of what he was saying and what he was doing on the ice.”
Raymond remained in a Boston hospital while the rest of the Canucks flew back to Vancouver for Wednesday’s Game 7 showdown.
“We tried to delay our flight as long as we could today to try and see if we could get him home, but they weren’t going to release him until he was stable,” Gillis said. “They had designed a corset for him to be able to wear to be able to get out of the hospital and travel safely. That hadn’t happened and we had to leave. So we haven’t had an update. My presumption is that he is still in the hospital and will be there at least until [Wednesday] or the following day. But I’m unsure at this point.”
Gillis was also uncertain about what steps lay ahead in Raymond’s recovery.
“We’re not sure, we’re hopeful there won’t be surgery at this point,” Gillis said. “Like I said, it’s a severe injury and we’ll know more over the next week when he gets back here. At this point, they’re hopeful that it won’t require surgery, that it has the opportunity to heal on its own. He’s going to face a long, hard recovery. We’ve been told it’s going to be very challenging for him and he’s going to be in a difficult position for some time. Like I said, we’re hopeful if we can get him back by November, I think that would be a win for us.”
