NHL Players Sidelined by Unusual Off-Ice Injuries: A Growing Trend
The NHL has seen a surprising pattern of players getting injured away from the ice this season, with St. Louis Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko becoming the latest casualty. The team announced that Toropchenko is now considered week-to-week after suffering “scalding burns to his legs in a home accident.” While the exact circumstances remain unclear, Blues head coach Jim Montgomery has been tight-lipped about the details, simply stating, “I just know it was a home accident, so we’re going to leave it at that.” The timing is particularly unfortunate as Toropchenko had just played in the Blues’ 1-0 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night, though that game ended early for him after he received a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for a knee-to-knee collision with Logan Cooley.
Toropchenko’s misfortune adds to what has become a peculiar trend of NHL players suffering injuries in non-hockey settings this season. Perhaps the most notable case involved New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes, who is now sidelined for approximately two months following surgery to repair a finger injury. Hughes’ injury occurred in what the team described as a “freak accident” at a Chicago steakhouse dinner in mid-November. While the Devils organization didn’t specify which finger was affected, social media users quickly connected the dots when a photo of Hughes dining with pop star Tate McRae circulated online, showing the hockey player with a bandaged right hand.
The string of unusual injuries continued when the Florida Panthers announced that forward Eetu Luostarinen had been injured in what they described as “a barbequing mishap.” Like Toropchenko, Luostarinen was listed as week-to-week, with Panthers head coach Paul Maurice acknowledging the unprecedented nature of such an injury. “We don’t have a lot of experience with this,” Maurice told reporters. “When he comes back and feels comfortable with the equipment on him, away we go.” The vague details provided in all these cases have left fans speculating about the exact circumstances while teams focus on adjusting their lineups to compensate for these unexpected absences.
These incidents highlight an often-overlooked aspect of professional sports: the vulnerability of athletes to everyday accidents that can significantly impact their careers and their teams’ prospects. While players routinely risk injury during high-speed, physical games, it’s remarkable that mundane activities like dining out or cooking at home can sideline elite athletes earning millions of dollars. For NHL teams already navigating the challenges of a demanding season—managing travel schedules, addressing on-ice injuries, and maintaining competitive lineups—these off-ice incidents add another layer of unpredictability to roster management.
The timing of these injuries can be particularly consequential depending on where teams stand in the season and their playoff aspirations. For players like Hughes, a cornerstone of the Devils franchise, a two-month absence represents a significant portion of the regular season and could potentially affect the team’s postseason chances. Similarly, Toropchenko and Luostarinen’s indefinite absences force their respective coaching staffs to reconfigure lines and special teams units, potentially disrupting chemistry that had been developing throughout the season. These situations also create opportunities for other players to step into expanded roles, potentially changing team dynamics in unexpected ways.
As the NHL season progresses, teams may become increasingly cautious about players’ off-ice activities, especially as this trend of unusual injuries continues to make headlines. While professional athletes can’t be expected to live in protective bubbles, these incidents serve as stark reminders that millions of dollars in salary and team investments can be jeopardized by seemingly innocuous daily activities. For fans, these stories add a humanizing element to the perception of professional athletes—a reminder that despite their extraordinary physical abilities on the ice, NHL players remain susceptible to the same accidents and mishaps that affect everyone else in their everyday lives. As teams await the return of these injured players, the unusual circumstances of their absences will likely become part of NHL lore in what has already proven to be a season marked by unexpected off-ice challenges.
