As most of you know, Trent McCleary was seriously injured in a game on
January 29, 2000, when a shot off the stick of Flyers' Chris Therian
hit him square in the throat, leaving him with a fractured larynx,
a collapsed lung, and motionless on the ice. McCleary did make his way
off the ice, with some help from teammates, where he collapsed in the
aisle to the dressing rooms. He was rushed to a nearby Montreal
hospital, where an emergency tracheotomy was performed, and spent the
night in the ICU, in critical condition. Doctors, at the time of the
incident, did state that it was a "life and death" situation.
McCleary is now (January 31, 2000) listed as being in critical condition.
He is in no further danger of losing his life, although doctors will
not speculate on whether or not McCleary will play hockey again. He may
require further surgery to repair the broken larynx, and will spend at
least another week in the hospital.
I wish McCleary all the best in his recovery, and should he return
to the ice, I wish him all the best in the remainder of his career.
I don't know what else I can say, except that I'm thankful that he
is alive, and thankful that he is expected to make a full recovery.
Trent McCleary: Updated: February 2, 2000
Trent McCleary, previously in the intensive care unit of a Montreal
hospital, and breathing only with the help of a respirator, was
upgraded from critical to stable today, and moved out of the intensive
care unit. He is breathing without the aid of a respirator, and
doctors expect a full recovery. There still has been no speculation on
whether or not he will be able to return to hockey.
