We all knew this day was coming: When the teams in the Stanley Cup Final start revealing the gruesome injuries they played through.
Some of the worst have come from Erik Karlsson, Joe Thornton, basically the entire Ducks roster and Alex Steen, but James Neal has put himself in contention with today’s reveal. Neal apparently broke his hand in the first game of Nashville’s series against Anaheim and continued to play throughout the playoffs.
For a shooter, we can’t imagine a worse injury, because you really have to lean onto your hands to get off a quick shot.
This also explains a moment in the handshake line against the Penguins. Fans noticed that Neal offered his left hand when shaking with Sidney Crosby, which confused many at the time.
If someone’s got a firm handshake, that’s going to hurt a lot going through that line with your hand broken. Neal wasn’t the only Predator to play through injuries though. On top of Ryan Johansen and Kevin Fiala’s injuries and the Colin Wilson injury in the Tweet above, Craig Smith player through a high ankle sprain.
