As Nashville Predators forward Matt Duchene skated toward the bench after taking an errant puck off the hand in a March 26 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, he knew prognosis wasn’t good.
Duchene pulled his hand out of his glove to see the bone sticking out of his left ring finger and the tip of his finger still inside the glove. Speaking to reporters Sunday during locker cleanout day, the 32-year-old winger recalled wondering if the injury would end his career prematurely.
“It was really scary,” he recalled. “I wasn’t sure if it was career-threatening or not. I was pretty emotional when it happened. I still wake up every day and can’t believe it went that way.”
While Duchene is expected to make a full recovery, doctors couldn’t quite save his finger. Two surgeries later, a nail and pin hold his finger together while the fractured bones heal. Fortunately, he suffered no torn or damaged tendons.
Doctors believe he could be ready to resume hockey-related activities in June and he should be ready for the Predators’ training camp in September.
“I’ll be honest, it didn’t hurt as bad as other injuries I’ve had, but it just felt weird,” Duchene said. “…The doctor asked where my glove was, and I looked over and said, ‘Why? Do you think there’s a piece of my finger in there? I didn’t know I had lost part of the finger. I thought it just crushed it. They were hiding it from me, so they went and grabbed the tip out.”
At the time of his injury, Duchene was on-pace for the fourth 60-point season and fourth 25-point season of his career. His 22 goals were a team-high and his 56 points were second-most on the Predators behind captain Roman Josi.
