Almost 24 hours later, the anguish in Chris Kreider’s voice was clear.
“I mean, I was standing there. I didn’t think anything was going to happen. When he fell, I thought maybe there was going to be a trip call, but there was no major crash.”20 The player in question said.
“And I heard him. I heard him scream.”
When asked about the physical impact of Blake Wheeler’s season-ending and potentially career-ending injury to his lower right leg during a game like Nothingburger, Kreider spoke more calmly than usual. Ta. He will play midway through the first period of Thursday’s game against Montreal at the Garden.
“I texted with him today, but I can’t say anything specific about how he’s handling this,” said Kreider, who first played with Wheeler on Team USA at the 2011 world championship. Told. It’s difficult to glean any emotional context from his text messages.
“I have known him for a long time. He is a consummate professional, has had incredible success in his career, and is very popular among his teammates. He won the Stanley Cup He’s like a father figure in our room who chose to come to our team to win championships.
“Regardless of what the future holds, this is a huge loss for the group,” Crider said. “It’s heartbreaking.”
The Rangers placed the 37-year-old Wheeler on long-term injured reserve on Friday. The team has a chance to get the 16-year NHL veteran back in the later rounds of the playoffs if all goes well. But that’s a very unlikely scenario.
Cold types give a ruthless impression. Not at all. But life, business, and schedules go on. Kreider and the Rangers skated at MetLife on Friday in preparation for Sunday afternoon’s outdoor game against the Islanders. As the calendar changed from one day to the next, line combinations were created: “Jimmy Vesey takes Wheeler’s right-hand side, alongside Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.”
“Honestly, I felt sick watching it,” Vesey told the Post. “I consider myself pretty sensitive to situations, so ever since this play happened I’ve been thinking a lot about what this means for his future. .
“He’s an older guy who’s been in this league a long time and he came here to win,” No. 26 said. “He was a great teammate, a great leader, a great person,” said a voice in the locker room, and it was sickening to see him go down like that. ”
This is the second season-ending injury the Rangers have had to deal with not just this season but within the last month, with Filip Sitil having a slow recovery from a concussion he suffered on Nov. 2 and a Jan. 28 injury. was eliminated from the season.
There is a vacancy at the center. There is currently a vacant seat in the right wing. But the absence of Sittil and Wheeler had a much deeper impact. Their careers are at stake. So will their future.
“I talked to him a little bit last night and it was really hard to know what to say,” said Jacob Trouba, Wheeler’s teammate for six years in Winnipeg and one of his closest comrades at the club. “I said I want to be there for you and do everything I can.
“Obviously it’s a difficult situation for him and for most of the players on our team. We don’t know if this is his last year, we don’t know if this is his last game. All of that. comes to mind.
“And for me, he’s someone I grew up looking up to the first few years. He helped me a lot. And having him here this year is a great way for both of us to grow.” “It’s been really nice to see the maturity over the years,” the captain said. “Given our history, it was tough to watch, probably more than anyone else.”
This is professional sports. Men get hurt. Gals will get hurt. The first instinct is to measure the impact on the athlete or team, not the individual. That’s life in an industry where people root for people to do their laundry. But there are times when you can take a step back and embrace the bigger picture.
“Watching Phil’s situation unfold like this, you’ve been with a guy for years and he’s progressing and getting better and then you have setbacks and you see that… It hurt,’” Trouba said. “Obviously, we’re here to play hockey, but it’s Phil’s life and it’s Phil’s future.
“It’s a similar feeling to Wheels.”
This can be a dangerous game. Players put themselves at risk every time they step on the ice. Of course, this is what they sign up for, not join forces that enter a combat zone, but danger lurks in even the most innocuous play possible.
“It’s part of the game. Nobody did anything wrong,” Trouba said. “There is a moment when you realize that this is not going to be easy, that difficult things can happen, and that it can always happen to you.
“So you care about other men just as you want people to care about you.”
