It was an emotional night for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It was an emotional night for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Mikhail Sergachev skated in what was his first game in more than seven weeks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. On Dec. 19th he suffered an injury to his lower left leg that kept him off the ice up until this point.
The Lightning defenseman was all smiles leading up to the game, making it known he was energized to be back with his teammates in their first game coming out of the All-Star break.
His night ended just 27 minutes into the game, when his left leg tangled underneath him. The Lightning defenseman was approaching Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere in the corner. Lafreniere leaned in as he made contact, causing Sergachev’s leg to get twisted under his own body.
Lightning athletic trainers, Tom Mulligan and Mike Poirier quickly hopped from across bench as Sergachev grabbed his left leg. His teammates immediately surrounded him.
“In the end, you’ve got your biological family, but these are the people you spend pretty much your whole life with. It goes beyond hockey,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper.
“He’s a really tough kid and there were emotions coming out. You care for the guys. It was clear the Rangers cared for him. They all cleared the bench. It’s a little bit more than hockey when it comes down to things like that.”
As Sergachev was wheeled across the ice on a stretcher, the crowd cheered him on and Rangers players sent their well wishes. Still visibly upset, Sergachev gave a thumbs up, letting the arena know he was ok.
“It’s not fun. You feel sick to your stomach,” said Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. “Obviously, Sergy has put in a lot of time and effort to come back from his original injury and, then, to see something pretty traumatic like that happen from someone who has been through that, it’s tough to watch.”
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