Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Wojtek Wolski's Comeback

07/08/2017 at 8:15am EDT

from Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star,

When he thinks back to the terrifying moments that came after he crashed head-first into the boards on that October night in Russia, Wojtek Wolski remembers fearing the worst.

“I remember thinking I was paralyzed,” Wolski said in a recent interview with The Star.

And when you watch the video of the incident in question, clipped from the third period of an otherwise unremarkable game in which Wolski was playing for the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk last season, it’s easy enough to fathom a career-ending disaster. Skating hard in pursuit of a puck, Wolski lost his footing and slid on his stomach toward the rink’s sidewall. As he went, an opposing player fell on his torso, essentially blocking Wolski from using his arms to absorb the impact. Out of control at high speed, Wolski’s helmeted head took the brunt of the blow instead. The memory of the aftermath remains vivid.

“It’s like you hear these bells just going off in your head telling you to move — to move your hands, to move your feet,” Wolski said. “It’s like the bells just got louder and louder and louder, until I started moving my hands and feet. And then it was like, ‘OK, that’s a good sign.’ It’s actually insane how the body works. It has mechanisms to protect you in those situations. It’s fascinating what happens.”

It’s fascinating, too, to hear the details of how the 31-year-old Wolski found his way from that scary scenario to a resumption of his athletic career.

continued

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by damndogrevenge in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Seider's Year - 44 minutes ago
Comment by bezukov in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Seider's Year - 52 minutes ago
Comment by Paul in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Seider's Year - 56 minutes ago
Comment by bezukov in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Seider's Year - 58 minutes ago
Comment by Paul in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Seider's Year - 1 hour ago