Mason Raymond injured his lower back when he was ridden into the boards by Boston Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals Monday night. The Vancouver Canucks have announced that it's a vertebrae compression fracture, which likely is about as horrible as it sounds.
Mason Raymond Injury: Vancouver Canucks Announce Forward Will Miss Up To Four Months
He’ll miss three to four months, according to general manager Mike Gillis. That obviously includes Game 7 of the Finals, which will take place on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
The idea of a compressed vertebrae makes me want to move to the jungles of Sri Lanka, far from any hockey rink. Ouch. You could tell it was likely something serious as soon as Raymond hit the boards in the opening minute of Game 6. He went in awkwardly, with his lower back taking the brunt of the injury, and with the way he fell to the ice and the confused look on his face, you could tell it was something strange but potentially serious.
Raymond went back to the locker room with help from teammates, and after being checked out by team doctors, a stretcher was brought in and he was taken to a Boston hospital. No word on if he traveled back to Vancouver with his teammates on Tuesday, but there were reports that he might not be able to do so.
Boychuk will not be punished for the hit.
The Stanley Cup Finals are ongoing, as the Vancouver Canucks battle the Boston Bruins. Stick with this StoryStream for complete coverage of Game 6. For coverage on the Finals, stick with our Stanley Cup Finals hub, our Canucks blog, Nucks Misconduct, and our Bruins blog, Stanley Cup of Chowder.
See More:
