With 13:40 left within the third interval of their Dec. 29 recreation towards Milwaukee, the Wolves’ Curtis McKenzie was hit within the face by a puck. A shot by Wolves defenseman Jimmy Schuldt was re-directed by teammate Patrick Brown and nailed McKenzie, painfully reminding him of the hazard of his traditional place by the web screening the opposing goalie.
McKenzie was knocked straight to the ice in entrance of Admirals netminder Troy Grosenick, who instantly signaled to the benches for assist. McKenzie received up and went with coach Kevin Kacer to the Wolves’ dressing room and appeared to be accomplished for the sport and possibly longer.
Wearing eight contemporary stitches on his backside lip, McKenzie got here again with 6:45 remaining. He may’ve returned earlier if not for a wardrobe malfunction.
“That’s Mac. He’s done it forever,” Wolves ahead Brandon Pirri mentioned. “He’s a warrior and he’s a leader. No one was surprised he came back. He would’ve been out there earlier but he couldn’t find his gloves.”
McKenzie ultimately discovered his gloves and by coming again to the Wolves’ bench, he confirmed once more why he’s one of many staff leaders. It was one thing coach Rocky Thompson didn’t miss: that McKenzie was precisely the place he was imagined to be in entrance of the web, received dinged for his efforts, however got here again shortly after sacrificing his physique.
“If you were on our bench you would know what he means to our team,” Thompson mentioned. “Their appreciation for his sacrifice is really evident.”
McKenzie, 28, is in his second season with the Wolves. Along with Brown and Jaycob Megna, McKenzie is without doubt one of the staff’s three alternate captains and is a part of a management group Thompson praises ceaselessly.
McKenzie ceaselessly units an instance for the remainder of the roster, however normally not as painfully.
“Nobody understands how much it hurts (when) you get a puck to the face,” Thompson mentioned. “You get stitches, and it just speaks to his character. He’s a warrior. Everybody knows it. You get these displays where it shows the heart and the character that he has.”
Asked about it every week later, McKenzie downplayed the incident. He mentioned it was just a few stitches and credited the Wolves’ medical employees with getting him again into the sport.
If something, McKenzie made it appear routine for him and different hockey gamers, although he didn’t know the way precisely hockey gamers make it so routine.
“You get a lot of bumps and bruises during the season,” McKenzie mentioned. “We’re probably used to it a little more than a non-hockey player would be, but it’s nothing crazy. I’ve seen guys come back from a lot worse. It’s nothing much.”