Artturi Lehkonen explodes in flames.
The Colorado Avalanche’s Finnish forward has been on the ice for a long time.
– When a player is taken to the hospital, it is very serious, says coach Jared Bednar.
It was in the third period against the Seattle Kraken in Denver that the scary incident occurred.
The duel against 201cm, 116kg defender Jimmi Oleksiak was not ugly, but Artturi Lehkonen fell hard and hit his head on the sideline.
After lying down for a long period, he was helped in the dressing room by teammate Nathan MacKinnon, among others.
-We are very worried, we don’t have any update yet. Artturi Lehkonen was in a bad position and collided with a big man. “His foot got stuck and he fell upside down,” Jared Bednar says after the game.
“Hard as granite”
Since then, North American media have been able to report from the hospital that the 28-year-old is awake, has full mobility and full control.
– He is clearly one of the strongest players on the team. It is as hard as granite. Especially when he’s the one not waking up, you feel a little worried, because it could be something more serious. “We hope it goes well, because obviously he is very important for us,” says star defender Kalar Makar.
The Seattle Kraken won the game 4-3 after Danish striker Oliver Bjorkstrand sealed his second goal with 32 seconds left in regulation time.
Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson had two assists for the Seattle Kraken.
