NHL players are amazed at the treatment Juuso Välimäki received – or the lack of it.
The home team Dallas Stars sent Juuso Välimäki to the emergency room, from where he would have been sent to a hotel to sleep. AOP / USA TODAY SPORTS
Finnish NHL player Juuso Välimäki a bloody injury in mid-November and a subsequent trip to the hospital in the city of Dallas have put some NHL players on their toes.
The Daily Faceoff website reports that Välimäki, who was hit in the face by a puck in a match played on November 15 Finnish time, was left in the emergency room in Dallas and left without treatment for hours, even though the puck player lost three teeth from the impact of the puck, broke a bone in his face and received a wound that required 55 stitches.
Välimäki was transported from the match in Dallas by ambulance to the emergency room of the local hospital just like any other patient. Välimäki, his wife, who happened to be on the away game trip, and an employee of Välimäki’s club, the Arizona Coyotes, remained in the emergency room.
The emergency room was crowded, so the hospital employees told Välimäki that he should find the Hotel room and come back the next morning. Among other things, the hospital staff was employed by people with gunshot wounds.
According to The Daily Faceoff, Välimäki’s injuries were so serious that the Finn was unable to function properly. According to the website, the doctors later said that Välimäki could have suffocated on his own blood if he had gone from the emergency room to the hotel to sleep.
The situation was resolved when Välimäki’s wife Wind contacted the NHL players association. At this point, Välimäki had been in the emergency room for an hour without treatment. It took another two hours for Välimäki’s wound and face to even be cleaned.
Around 02:00 am, 55 stitches were sewn into Välimäki’s face and the bleeding was stopped. After this, it took another 12 hours for Välimäki to have an operation, where his broken bone was treated and the teeth left in his mouth were straightened.
According to information from Daily Faceoff, the incident has been a hot potato in the Coyotes locker room and players association. The players have wondered if other top athletes would be left on duty in the same way in, for example, the NFL, NBA or MLB.
According to the website, the NHL and the players’ association are investigating the case, but so far there are no doubts that contracts have been violated.
However, the Välimäki case may lead to changes that could prevent similar cases.