Every time a goaltender steps on to the ice, he’s taking a risk of getting hit in a delicate area with a frozen rubber puck that can top out at over 100 mph.
One of the worst feelings a goaltender can experience – besides getting pulled after allowing four goals on the first ten shots of a game – is taking a slap shot to where the sun don’t shine.
During the Anaheim Ducks practice on Tuesday, goaltender John Gibson was forced to leave the ice after being hit in the lower extremities. Let head coach Randy Carlyle fill you in further.
Poor Gibson. Oh, the pain.
The Ducks currently have $26,275,000 in the form of Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves, Cam Fowler, Kevin Bieksa, Ryan Getzlaf all nursing injuries. They just got defenceman Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm back into the lineup after they both sustained injuries in last year’s playoffs. Despite the injuries, they are sitting in the second wild card spot with 13 points through eleven games played.
As for Gibson, he’s gotten off to a strong start on the year having allowed two goals or less in seven of his last eight games. The 24-year-old has a 5-3-1 record with a .921 save percentage in ten outings on the season.
The Pittsburgh native has yet to play more than 52 games in a year over parts of five seasons in the NHL. Let’s just hope that his able to play when the Ducks host the Leafs. Perhaps Gibson may want to look at getting a different goalie jock if the one he is sporting now doesn’t provide enough protection.
(h/t NHL Ducks)
