Zach Werenski knew it was trouble as soon as the puck hit his face.
He was doing his job, getting in Phil Kessel’s shooting lane and taking time and space away from one of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ handful of dangerous goal-scorers, but one of the unfortunate parts of the game reared its ugly head.
The old hockey coach’s adage (especially popular with USA Hockey programs) is “stick on puck,” meaning the defenseman’s goal is to get his stick on the shot to disrupt its path to the net, leading to a puck over the netting or away from the goal.
In this case, Werenski – a good American kid – got his stick on the puck, and then puck in his eye. It was a scary scene in Game 3 at Nationwide Arena, with Werenski’s face gushing blood and him skating hurriedly off the ice and down to the Blue Jackets dressing room.
On one hand, it could have been a lot worse. On the other, it was devastating.
"He’s been unbelievable for our team and such a big part of our success. He deserves to be up for the Calder this year and he deserves all the recognition he’s been getting."– Seth Jones on Zach Werenski
Werenski was electric in his short time in the series. Whenever he stepped on the ice, it felt like something positive was on its way. But the facial fracture meant he was done for the playoffs and thus done for the season, a real bummer for a 19-year-old phenom who played a key role in the Blue Jackets’ surprising turnaround.
On exit day at Nationwide Arena, Werenski told assembled media that his injury was more involved than what was originally divulged. He suffered a broken orbital bone and a fracture to his sinus cavity, and also received 18 stitches split between the exterior and interior of the wound.
Yikes.
“(The doctors) said the bone was showing,” Werenski said.
Nope, nope, and nope.
His recovery period is 4-6 weeks, which effectively rules him out of participating in the IIHF World Championships. Werenski said he will not need additional surgery, but isn’t sure when he will be able to resume full training for the upcoming season.
John Tortorella reflected on Werenski’s rookie year in his exit day press conference and was effusive in praising the Calder Trophy finalist – but not just for his on-ice ability.
“I'm glad he's ours,” Tortorella said. “I see some young kids in the league, some great talent, but how they act scares me. And it shouldn't because they're not mine. This guy is. This guy is a Columbus Blue Jacket. We are so fortunate. Forget about what he does on the ice. It's how he handles himself. I think that's so important.
“We talk about standard, we talk about culture, we talk about what we want to be. He has stepped right into it and he's on a fast track."
