A Scary Injury

I'll admit that I'm a fan of Blake Geoffrion. Sure, he might be a fourth-generation NHL player, but I've always liked his hustle and effort from as far back as when he was a regular with the Milwaukee Admirals. Geoffrion looks like he should have an NHL future if he continues to work hard and catch a few breaks. However, his latest injury is one break I'd wish upon no one as it's as scary as it looks and sounds. Honestly, Geoffrion is lucky to even be alive after you see the video below.

We'll go back to an NHL game on November 9 between the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Syracuse Crunch being played at Montreal's Bell Centre. Looking up at the banners of his grandfather "Boom Boom" Geoffrion and his great-grandfather Howie Morenz, I'm pretty sure Blake never expected the following to happen. Watch this, and try not to cringe.

Yowza. Geoffrion gets hammered by Syracuse's JP Cote, and it appears that Cote's skate catches Geoffrion's head. Geoffrion, of course, made his way to the bench to get patched up as the skate opened up a gash, but that was the least of his worries. It also appeared that Geoffrion's head may have hit the ice or boards, so you know the team would have to take precautions.

Off to the hospital went Geoffrion, and things looked good as the team reported the trip to the emergency room as "precautionary". That's when things went downhill. A CT scan revealed a depressed skull fracture - where a piece of the skull is applying pressure on the brain - and the Geoffrions had to give the doctors permission to start emergency surgery. Suddenly, precautionary had become emergency procedure.

The Geoffrions okayed the surgery, and the doctors began relieving the pressure by removing a piece of his skull. As they work into the wee hours of the morning, it dawns on the Geoffrions that their son may not come out of this. All they can do is wait for the doctors to return.

The next morning, Blake Geoffrion was in a hospital bed, awake and alert. The doctors had been able to fix the fracture and prevent any permanent damage on his brain. While Geoffrion may be stuck in a bed and away from playing for a while, it could have been a whole lot worse.

Fast forward to today, and Geoffrion, at home after being released on November 15, is now taking things day by day, and this writer is hoping we'll see him back on the ice. Like a serious concussion, though, I'd hope that Geoffrion decides to take the rest of the year off and get himself ready for next season by letting his gray matter rest and recuperate. It could be the best thing for him.

While I'm an admitted Geoffrion fan, I'm actually a healthy Geoffrion fan. I'm glad to see that Geoffrion is doing well after his horrific injury, and here's hoping we see him back on the ice next year and not this year! Get well, Blake, and don't rush back!

MO' BRO: We have 13 forwards, six defenceman, and one goalie on the Mo' Bro All-Stars, so I need a defenceman and another goaltender to round out the team. Thus far, Mike Gartner, Wendel Clark, Dirk Graham, Grant Fuhr, Dennis Maruk, Larry Robinson, Mike Ramsey, Derek Sanderson, Lanny McDonald, Bryan Trottier, Dave Babych, Dave Schultz, Rod Langway, Jamie Macoun, Harold Snepsts, Dave Tippett, Michel Goulet, Paul MacLean, Mike McPhee, and Mike Bullard have all been selected. Today, we'll grab our seventh defenceman. Who is it?

Bob Murdoch had a fantastic moustache for the vast majority of his playing days while suiting up with the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Flames, and the Calgary Flames. He skated in the 1974-75 All-Star Game while as a member of the Kings, and won a Stanley Cup with the 1972-73 Canadiens. Murdoch wasn't a flashy offensive player by any means, but he prided himself on not being noticed by playing sound defensively. He didn't rack up a ton of points as he compiled 278 points in 757 NHL games, but his 12 NHL seasons earned him a Stanley Cup ring and an all-star selection.

Bob Murdoch was moustachioed for the majority of his career. He broke into the league sans-'stache, but that was corrected once he got himself started! If you want to get in on the action, head over to the Movember page and get registered so your 'stache can stand amongst these great 'staches!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!