Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry explains why eyes were bloodshot during playoffs

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 7/9/21

The mystery of why Jeff Petry had bloodshot eyes during the Montreal Canadiens' third-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights has been solved.

Petry said Friday the condition was a result of him passing out and popping blood vessels while getting his broken pinky finger reset during Montreal's second-round series against the Winnipeg Jets.

Petry confirms it was just a broken pinky finger. The eyes were because of setting his finger back in place. "I passed out and basically popped all the blood vessels in my eyes."
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) July 9, 2021

Petry broke his finger in Game 3 against the Jets after getting it stuck in a camera hole in the glass. He missed two games and returned for Game 2 against the Golden Knights.

When he made his return to the ice, fans immediately took notice of his bloodshot eyes, which looked like something straight out of a horror movie.

Montreal’s Jeff Petry with a terrifying bloodshot eyes photo pic.twitter.com/HwQHwzD3y0
— Bleacher Report NHL (@BR_NHL) June 17, 2021

Petry said he could have had surgery to repair the finger but decided against it because it would have required six to eight weeks of recovery.

"A freak accident..."--Petry said he broke his pinky finger. Thought he originally dislocated it but it was broken. Was in a cast for a week. "It was painful," but he said no to surgery, which would've been six-to-eight weeks.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) July 9, 2021

The 33-year-old finished the playoffs with six assists in 20 games, averaging 24:03 of ice time per contest. The Canadiens fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games to lose the Stanley Cup Final.

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