ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. - A Twin Cities high school hockey player suffered a paralyzing injury during a game Friday.
Sixteen-year-old Benilde-St. Margaret's sophomore Jack Jablonski was injured during the Holiday Hockey Classic tournament in St. Louis Park.
Jablonski made the first goal of what would be a winning game for the junior varsity Red Knights against Wayzata High School.
But things quickly changed in the third period. With nine minutes left in the game, Jablonski went after the puck and two Wayzata players pursued him hard, according to JV coach Chris McGowan.
One of the players hit Jablonski in the shoulder blades and then the second player pushed him up against the boards, McGowan said.
"His face slammed against the boards and his body was straight up and down," he said.
After the hit, Jablonski fell to the ice and remained motionless. McGowan said Jablonski told him he couldn't feel anything in his hands or feet.
Jablonski was taken to HCMC where he remains in the Intensive Care Unit. According to his Caringbridge site, he severely bruised his spinal cord and doctors are waiting for the swelling to go down before deciding their next move.
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