After vicious skate cut, Jets’ Zach Redmond makes ‘miracle’ recovery
That, via CBC's Mitch Peacock, is the aftermath of Zach Redmond's freak injury suffered in February.
During practice on Feb. 21, one moment almost changed Redmond’s future. After getting cut by Winnipeg Jets teammate Antti Miettinen’s skate at PNC Arena in Raleigh, Redmond was rushed to a local hospital after lacerating the right femoral artery and vein on the inside of his right leg just above the knee.
"Scary", "shocking" and "gruesome" were the words used by his teammates to describe the scene that saw a large pool of blood remain on the ice as Redmond was on his way to the hospital. The of injury he suffered is very serious, with the potential for death if not treated within minutes. Luckily for Redmond the athletic trainers for the Jets and the Carolina Hurricanes were able to get to him quickly.
After a three-hour surgery and six weeks of recovery, Redmond returned to the ice on Friday to skate with a few of his teammates. It's highly unlikely he'll play again this season, but according to team physician Dr. Peter MacDonald, Redmond's recovery is "miraculous" given the seriousness of the injury.
From the Winnipeg Free Press:
"Honestly we thought it was 50-50 that he’d ever play again. To have that major insult to the body, he’s lucky to be alive first of all. You don’t even think about playing again at first. He’s amazed us all," said McDonald. "It’s very high probability that he’ll be in training camp. He’s going to start skating now. We haven’t ruled out, if the Jets were to make the playoffs and go far, we haven’t even ruled out him playing this year."
MacDonald said that Redmond's leg is working at 75-percent for the moment and that it's "highly probable" he'll be able to participate in training camp come the September. From a 50-50 chance of ever playing again to "highly probable". That's remarkable for Redmond.
Skating is the first step in Redmond's road to recovery. Between now and training camp is the time for him to rebuild strength in the leg and get back to playing in the NHL.
Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy
