This pre-season has been a real pleasure to report on, guys.
(Just kidding, it’s been terrible. It’s been a massacre of good hockey players.)
According to NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk, Calgary Flames first round pick Sam Bennett will be sidelined for the start of the season, as he is out with an upper body injury inflicted during the team’s pre-season matchup against the Vancouver Canucks.
Pucks and Pitchforks
This will be Bennett’s second injury before the season even begins, as he was hurt during the rookie tournament as well. The small gap between the two injuries could explain why the 18-year-old rookie chose to continue skating through the pain during this last match.
According to the Flames’ head coach, Bob Hartley, this insistence on pushing through the pain truly signifies how strong Bennett is. After all, the league has revered players such as Patrice Bergeron, who played through the post-season with multiple broken ribs and a punctured lung, for their heart and grit. As a first-year player, though, Bennett should be focusing on remaining healthy and having a spectacular breakout season.
While Bennett has not gone with the team to Winnipeg for the Flames-Jets game tonight, three of the team’s previously injured players are their in his place. Mikael Backlund, who has been out with a abdominal injury, will be on the ice, as will Mason Raymond and David Jones.
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