Rock Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 (edited) Injury to Devils' Gomez Not as Bad as First Feared By JOE LAPOINTE http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/19/sports/h...y/19devils.html? Published: April 19, 2005 Devils center Scott Gomez sustained a hairline fracture in his pelvic area when he was checked from behind during a minor league game Saturday night in Bakersfield, Calif. He will not be able to play for the United States in the world championships, which begin April 30 in Austria. But Gomez's injury is not as serious as first feared. "Rest will take care of it," said Lou Lamoriello, president and general manager of the Devils, whose season was canceled because of the N.H.L.'s lockout. "In three, four or five weeks, he'll be perfect." Lamoriello said Gomez would not need surgery. Gomez was injured while playing for the Anchorage Aces in a playoff game. Ashlee Langdone of the Bakersfield Condors checked him into an open doorway near the bench. The teams are members of the ECHL, formerly the East Coast Hockey League. Gomez, 25, grew up in Anchorage and was the leading scorer for the Aces. Rod Pasma, vice president for hockey operations of the ECHL, said yesterday that Langdone had been suspended indefinitely and would not play last night in the fifth and deciding game of the series in Anchorage. Langdone was given a major penalty for boarding. According to an article in The Anchorage Daily News, Gomez said the hit was "something you don't do no matter what league you're in." "There's no excuse," he said. Gomez spent a few hours at a hospital in California and traveled home Sunday, walking on crutches when he left the airport. His father, Carlos, said by telephone from Anchorage on Monday that Gomez should be able to skate this summer. "Rumor had it that he shattered his pelvis and it was a career-threatening injury," Carlos Gomez said. "It was a cheap shot. He got hit from behind. He got caught on the latch of the door. He did fracture a bone there, but it's very minor. It's a clean fracture. It just needs time to heal." Patrik Elias, another Devils star, is recovering after contracting "something like hepatitis but not of the worst degree," Lamoriello said. Elias is playing professionally in Russia. After his illness was first diagnosed as a cold, it became worse, and Elias was later hospitalized in the Czech Republic, Lamoriello said. "He's 100 percent better," Lamoriello said. "He will be fine." Lamoriello is part of the N.H.L. delegation scheduled to meet in New York today to resume negotiations with the N.H.L. Players' Association to end the lockout. The N.H.L. board of governors will meet in New York tomorrow. Edited April 19, 2005 by Rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilMinder Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Glad Lou is still checking up on the players. I thought they weren't allowed to though? That is team and NHLPA contact? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils731 Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Phew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Puddy Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Phew is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devs82-83 Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Despite reports of Scott Gomez imminent demise... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerrydevil Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Thank God Scotty is OK and he can continue to be the subject of many trade rumors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Thank God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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