Joni Pitkanen injury: Hurricanes lose defenseman for 10-12 weeks

The Carolina Hurricanes will miss the services of defenseman Joni Pitkanen for the rest of the 2012-13 season.

Pitkanen suffered a broken calcaneus bone -- also known as the heel bone -- during a race for an icing with Troy Brouwer. Brouwer in no way hit Pitkanen or tripped him, it was merely the intensity of the race that forced Pitkanen to not be able stop in time to keep his leg from going into the borads awkwardly and painfully, in one of the more brutal non-contact injuries you’ll ever see.

The Hurricanes announced that the full extent of the injury will cause Pitkanen to miss 10-12 weeks.

Before this horrific, accidental situation, Pitkanen played in 22 games this season, having scored a goal and eight assists, while going plus-2. He had originally missed time earlier this season with a lower-body injury.

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