NHL Player Hospitalized After Scary Head-First Collison

An NHL player is going to miss a significant amount of time after being involved in a scary incident. Artturi Lehkonen of the Colorado Avalanche was injured after a collision with Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak caused him to fall headfirst into the boards in the second period of a game last week. Lehkonen was alert, responsive and had full movement after the incident but was hospitalized as a precaution, according to NHL.com. It was announced that Lehkonen didn't suffer a head injury but will miss several weeks. 

"[He's] not great. We're still gathering information, but he's going to miss weeks," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "Can't give you a timeline yet. I don't think it's a penalty (the hit by Oleksiak). I just think it's the ice that they're sort of making contact in there, and just the way he goes in, loses his footing and goes in headfirst."

Lehkonen is coming off a productive 2022-23 season for the Avalanche as he finished third on the team with 21 goals and fifth with 51 points in 64 games. "He does everything. He's good on the power play, he's good on the penalty kill, he's a very versatile player and trustworthy and never really makes mistakes. So, it's going to be a big loss," teammate Mikko Rantanen said. "We got to find a way to get some wins without him, which is obviously not easy because he's a good player."

Lehkonen, 28, joined the Avalanche in 2021 after spending six seasons with the Montreal Canadiens. In his career, Lehkonen has scored 101 goals and 209 points in 476 games and helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022. "It feels unbelievable," Lehkonen said to TVA Sports after winning the title, per the Montreal Gazette. "To be honest, I don't know what to say right now. It's been a long playoffs and a long two seasons. Last year losing it (in the final) … it feels pretty surreal. It's amazing."