Warning: This story contains a graphic photo of a skate-cut wound.
MANALAPAN, Fla. — Tom Fitzgerald and his wife, Kerry, were sitting in the bar of a Legal Sea Foods in New Jersey eating dinner on Dec. 28. As he has done countless times over the years, the New Jersey Devils president of hockey operations and general manager pulled out his phone so the couple could watch their son Casey, the captain of the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack, play the Providence Bruins.
In the second period, the former Boston College, Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers defenseman went into the corner for an innocuous-looking puck battle. But when Casey delivered the check, the skate of the Providence player shot back and clipped Casey up high.
Since it was the second period, it was the long change, so Casey continued to play. But he kept grabbing at the upper part of his neck. Fitzgerald thought his son may have gotten hit in the teeth.
“He stayed on the ice for another probably 12, 15 seconds and the puck got out and he actually asked the ref, ‘Am I cut?’” Fitzgerald recounted.
The ref was on the other side of Casey, so he didn’t see the cut and told him no.
But as Casey skated to the bench, a Providence player frantically yelled to him, “Dude, your f—ing neck is cut.”
The Hartford trainers…
