On a controversial play in Game One yesterday, the Capitals were on the power play and Flyers' forward Patrick Thoreson was injured after a puck hit him in the groin area after he went down to block a shot. Thoreson laid in pain on the ice as the referees allowed play to continue, and the Capitals subsequently took advantage of the 5 on 3 opportunity to score a crucial goal that tied the game. While many Flyers fans are furious that the refs allowed play to continue, it's uncommon for them to stop play when a team has the puck in the offensive zone and a defender is hurt on the ice. If they stopped the game every time that happened, defenders would be constantly falling down and faking injuries. The entire play didn't bother me because I have seen it many times before, but the news about Thoreson's injury is very disturbing indeed.
Apparently the shot hit Thoreson directly in the testicles. According to general manager Paul Holmgren, Thoreson is being evaluated for surgery, and he may require the removal of one of his testicles. Yikes. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, but any time someone speculates needing surgery in that area, it can't be a good thing. Thoreson would likely miss at least the next game, but I would expect him back before the end of the series. You can only imagine how badly his opponents will trash talk and taunt him. Hopefully Thoreson doesn't take his ball and go home.
Here is a video replay of the shot to the, um, testicles and the subsequent goal:
OUCH!
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