- Wild forward Nico Sturm was sent to a hospital after a Jared Spurgeon slap shot hit his helmet
- Coach John Hynes had no update and said Sturm likely won’t travel to Winnipeg
- Read below for how the scare brought back memories of Brock Faber’s injury
Nico Sturm was taken to a hospital Monday night after a puck hit him in the head.
The Wild forward was struck on the right side of his helmet by a slap shot from teammate Jared Spurgeon in the first period of Minnesota’s 4-2 win over the Golden Knights, per the Associated Press. The Wild announced shortly after that he would not return to the game:
Sturm dropped to the ice, and the crowd that had just watched Minnesota build a three-goal lead went quiet. Trainers tended to him before he skated off slowly with help. He played 3:20.
Wild coach John Hynes had no update on Sturm’s condition after the game. He did say Sturm isn’t likely to travel with the team for Tuesday’s game in Winnipeg.
Michael McCarron helped Sturm off the ice and was asked about what he saw in the moment. He said it reminded him of another teammate.
“Holding his ear, same spot kind of,” McCarron said. “I felt horrible. Us as a fourth line, we like to get to the net, and pucks are flying by us all the time. It’s scary around there, and I’m just praying for the best for him.”
That teammate is Brock Faber. The defenseman is out indefinitely after taking a puck to the head in the preseason finale, and he was later diagnosed with a skull fracture. We covered the original scare when Faber came back to play the rest of the period before feeling discomfort and heading to the hospital.
Faber was at the rink Monday and watched the win. Hynes said he has another medical evaluation coming up and has made “lots of good progress.”
Sturm had been filling in on the fourth line with Marcus Foligno and Nick Foligno both sidelined. Minnesota is 4-1-1 and also without backup goalie Filip Gustavsson, who is still recovering from offseason hip surgery.
The Wild’s win was a big one for Quinn Hughes, but the night ended with the roster getting thinner again.
