Defencemen are dropping like flies......
ESPN.com news services
ST. LOUIS -- On the day their top rivals lost one of its best defensemen, so did the St. Louis Blues.
Al MacInnis, a former Norris Trophy winner with one of the hardest slap shots in NHL history, will be sidelined indefinitely after undergoing eye surgery Friday.
While the exact cause of the procedure was unknown, MacInnis' condition will be updated by general manager Larry Pleau prior to Saturday night's home game with the Washington Capitals. MacInnis will definitely miss the game.
"I'm not going to discuss anything," Pleau said Friday. "Nobody's told me yet what the doctors have done."
The Sports Network of Canada, citing undisclosed sources, reported that MacInnis had a partially detached retina.
TSN notes that the best-case scenario for MacInnis is for him to miss a month or two. The worst-case scenario is that MacInnis could miss much longer, though it's premature to suggest the injury could be season- or career-ending.
The detached retina is in the same eye that MacInnis injured in January 2001 when he was struck in the eye by the stick of San Jose's Scott Hannan. It may or may not be related to that injury.
MacInnis showed up to practice today in St. Louis and told the team he felt the need to see a doctor. There was nothing obvious in the Blues' first three games of the NHL seasons that may have caused the eye condition.
Heading into the final year of a three year contract with the Blues, there is much speculation that this will be the 40-year-old's final season in the NHL.
To fill MacInnis' roster spot, the Blues recalled journeyman defenseman Aris Brimanis from their American Hockey League affiliate in Worcester, Massachusetts.
MacInnis played in Thursday night's 4-1 loss at Nashville, recording a minus-1 rating and one shot. He has two assists in three games this season.
The ailment is a critical one for St. Louis. MacInnis perennially is among the NHL leaders in ice time. The four-time All-Star has averaged nearly 25 minutes of action this season, second on the team to fellow defenseman Chris Pronger, who missed all but five games in 2002-03 following wrist surgery.
The Blues were not the only Central Division team to lose a top defenseman Friday. Norris Trophy finalist Derian Hatcher of the Detroit Red Wings could miss up to six months after suffering a torn ACL on Thursday night.
ESPN.com news services
ST. LOUIS -- On the day their top rivals lost one of its best defensemen, so did the St. Louis Blues.
Al MacInnis, a former Norris Trophy winner with one of the hardest slap shots in NHL history, will be sidelined indefinitely after undergoing eye surgery Friday.
While the exact cause of the procedure was unknown, MacInnis' condition will be updated by general manager Larry Pleau prior to Saturday night's home game with the Washington Capitals. MacInnis will definitely miss the game.
"I'm not going to discuss anything," Pleau said Friday. "Nobody's told me yet what the doctors have done."
The Sports Network of Canada, citing undisclosed sources, reported that MacInnis had a partially detached retina.
TSN notes that the best-case scenario for MacInnis is for him to miss a month or two. The worst-case scenario is that MacInnis could miss much longer, though it's premature to suggest the injury could be season- or career-ending.
The detached retina is in the same eye that MacInnis injured in January 2001 when he was struck in the eye by the stick of San Jose's Scott Hannan. It may or may not be related to that injury.
MacInnis showed up to practice today in St. Louis and told the team he felt the need to see a doctor. There was nothing obvious in the Blues' first three games of the NHL seasons that may have caused the eye condition.
Heading into the final year of a three year contract with the Blues, there is much speculation that this will be the 40-year-old's final season in the NHL.
To fill MacInnis' roster spot, the Blues recalled journeyman defenseman Aris Brimanis from their American Hockey League affiliate in Worcester, Massachusetts.
MacInnis played in Thursday night's 4-1 loss at Nashville, recording a minus-1 rating and one shot. He has two assists in three games this season.
The ailment is a critical one for St. Louis. MacInnis perennially is among the NHL leaders in ice time. The four-time All-Star has averaged nearly 25 minutes of action this season, second on the team to fellow defenseman Chris Pronger, who missed all but five games in 2002-03 following wrist surgery.
The Blues were not the only Central Division team to lose a top defenseman Friday. Norris Trophy finalist Derian Hatcher of the Detroit Red Wings could miss up to six months after suffering a torn ACL on Thursday night.
