Fans HATE when their players go play in the Worlds because it a) means their team is not in the playoffs, b) someone could get hurt, and c) is a pretty meaningless tournament.
Well, someone did get hurt.
Eric Staal is the Carolina Hurricanes’ captain, all-time leader in pretty much everything, and their heart and soul. The Hurricanes missed the playoffs this year after a catastrophic second half collapse which saw them go from top of their division to a lottery spot.
Missing the playoffs meant that Eric Staal would get a call from Hockey Canada to lead their team in the Worlds. Eric, being the Canadian gentleman that he is, accepted and went to Scandinavia to play.
Canada was taking on Sweden when Alex Edler of the Vancouver Canucks thought it was a good idea to skate right into Staal’s knee, leaving him in a heap on the ice.
What the hell was Alex Edler thinking?
— 67Sound (@67sound) May 16, 2013
The moral of the story? Don’t collapse in the second half of the season forcing your best player of all time to get guilt-tripped into playing for his country in a pretty much meaningless tournament only to have his knee blown out.
Watch the video over at TSN.
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