Multiple Losses for Teams Due to Injuries

By Brian Andrzejewski

Injuries these days....

1. As known throughout the hockey world, Sidney Crosby is undergoing a rough patch in his career due to a concussion and now a neck-injury. This is a big loss to the Pens, the city of Pitsburgh, and the NHL in general.

2. In the midst of a 23 home-game winning streak (a record being extended), the Detroit Red Wings star center Pavel Datsyuk went into a minor arthroscopic surgery and will be out a few weeks with his knee injury. This is a big loss to the Wings, especially since Datsyuk is the leading scorer in Detroit. Hopefully this doesn't lead to the end of their winning streak.

3. Lightning's captain, Vincent Lecavlier, will be missing 3-5 weeks with a fractured hand. I wouldn't say Tampa is having their best season so I am not sure if this will affect them too much, althought Lecavlier is a big contributor to their offense.

4. Jamie Langenbrunner, Blues veteran forward, recently broke his foot and will be ou for atleast 4 weeks. This will hurt the Blues, because Langenbrunner is the 17th leading scorer in the NHL and he is a great asset to the leadership in St. Louis. This will most likely hurt the Blues, but I don't see it keeping them from a playoff spot this season. They're having a very successful year so far.

5. Lastly, the Buffalo Sabres, a possible Cup Contender during the pre-season went through injuries to all of their star players, except Jason Pomminville. I mean, even their coach, Lindy Ruff, broke 3 ribs in practice. Their bad luck with injuries has held them back all season and probably held them back from a playoff spot. Lately, the healthy Sabres have been imporving and winning. Now, only 6 points out of a playoff spot, the overrated Sabres could stand a chance for a post-season run.

The same thing has happened to multiple teams like the Devils, who lost their best young-gun Zach Parise for a while thorughout the season.