Patrik Nemeth ready to become a 'knight,' staying positive after skate cut injury
Patrik Nemeth has had a rough go of it during the three years since he’s come to North America. A broken hand, broken foot and concussion have all sidelined the 22-year old Swede, according to Mark Stepneski of the Stars, and now he's added a freak skate cut injury to the laundry list of reasons taking away from the ice.
“I knew something hit my arm,” Nemeth said on Thursday talking about his collision with R.J. Umberger of the Philadelphia Flyers last week. “I took a peek at it, and it was bleeding. I just wanted to stop the bleeding. It was a little bit worse than I thought it would be. It wasn’t good news.”
Umberger’s skate cut muscles and tendons deep in Nemeth’s right arm. Fortunately, no arteries or nerves were affected. He had surgery the next day and was ruled out for at least the remainder of the regular season and possibly playoffs.
“It’s very frustrating. There’s nothing I can do about it," Nemeth said. "I just have to wear more protection, I guess."
Nemeth’s plan to protect himself in the future will include wearing Kevlar sleeves on both his arms and legs. “I’m going to be a knight out there,” he joked.
Despite another tough injury, Nemeth isn't letting frustration get in his way of a speedy recovery.
“The only thing I can do from here is not look back, just look ahead," he said. "As soon as I’m cleared to work out, just work hard and try to be in really good shape when I get back.
"Hopefully speed up the recovery a little bit. That’s all I can do right now.”
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
