Juuso Välimäki got a puck in his face in November, and initially did not get the required treatment, reports hockey media Daily Faceoff.
Hockey’s NHL and the NHL players’ association NHLPA are investigating the case involving the Arizona Coyotes’ Finnish defenseman Juuso Välimäki to receive hospital treatment, says puck media Daily Faceoff.
Välimäki had received the Stars package From Jani Hakanpää puck in his face in an away game against Dallas on November 14. After the first aid given at the ice rink, the Finnish puck was taken to the hospital, but after the first examination he was about to be turned back. According to Daily Faceoff, the hospital staff directed Välimäki, his wife and a representative of the Coyotes to a nearby hotel for the night to wait for treatment until the next morning, because there were victims of a shooting incident in the hospital at the same time.
However, Välimäki received treatment when the players’ association NHLPA received information about the seriousness of the situation from Välimäki’s wife. Finally, 55 stitches were placed in Välimäki’s mouth that same night and the surgery was performed the next day. There was a fracture in Välimäki’s jawbone and three teeth were removed.
According to the sources interviewed by the website, Välimäki needed immediate help. The disc had made a bad wound in Välimäki’s mouth, which bled a lot. The doctors later said that if Välimäki had been sent from the hospital to a hotel to sleep, the Finnish pack might have suffocated on his own blood.
Välimäki was away from the games for a couple of weeks and returned to the rink on November 30. Välimäki has played in 23 games in the NHL this season and scored 0+6.