New York Rangers right wing Blake Wheeler is done for the season after a devastating leg injury.
The injury was sustained at the beginning of Thursday night’s game versus the Montreal Canadiens. Eleven minutes into the game, Wheeler fell and his right leg bent at an unnatural angle. He was in dire pain and had to be helped off the ice as he couldn’t put any pressure on his leg.
Looming Large
Now, Wheeler is expected to miss the remainder of the season, and at age 37, his career could be in jeopardy. The Rangers did win the game 7-4, and will face the Islanders at MetLife Stadium as part of the Stadium Series on Sunday. They will try to extend their winning streak to seven games. But the loss of Wheeler is looming large on them.
“As much as these guys are teammates, we lost a friend,” said Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, who was teammates with Wheeler on the Winnipeg Jets. “He’s obviously going through something that no one wants to go through, so there’s more to it than just the impact on the team,” Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said. “We all care a lot about the hockey and our jobs, but we’re also humans and friends and have families outside the rink.”
Time as a Ranger
So far this season, Wheeler has 21 points in 54 games with the Rangers. He was acquired this offseason after being bought out by the Winnipeg Jets. He played with the Jets for twelve seasons in which he was the captain of the team for most of those seasons. Wheeler signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with the Rangers this past offseason, but now, his career could be in jeopardy.
“He’s been amazing since he’s been here,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said of Wheeler. “His presence, he comes into work every day positive, hardworking. He was committed to being a part of this team and making it successful, and he did that both in the room and on the ice. And when you lose a veteran player like that, with such an impact in the room, that’s tough to replace. Certainly our thoughts are with him and a healthy recovery at some point. But that’s a tough one last night. We miss him.”
Career-Ending?
“I’m not saying this is true, but maybe he played his last hockey game [last night],” Trouba continued. “That’s something that you see as a player and as a friend. It’s emotional. It’s something you think about so that you don’t take things for granted here. And for me it’s a little extra tough. He’s a guy I looked up to, and he’s helped me a lot in my career.”
Following Wheeler’s injury, the Rangers called up prospect Matt Rempe from the AHL. He could make his debut tomorrow during the Stadium Series game if he plays. If that happens, he would become the first player to ever have his NHL debut come during an outdoor game.
“That would be a pretty sick first game,” teammate Jimmy Vesey said of Rempe’s potential debut. “Stadium Series and Rangers vs. Islanders. If he’s in, I’d probably just say that it was the coolest NHL debut I’ve seen so far.”
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