Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe explains how he avoided a scary injury after getting cut on his ankle by Jake Evans' skate blade in their season opener against the Montreal Canadiens.
In the Toronto Maple Leafs' opening game of the 2026-27 regular season against the Montreal Canadiens, defenseman Jake McCabe nearly suffered an injury that could've been more serious than it turned out to be.
In the first period, McCabe was breaking out the puck from his own zone before Canadiens forward Jake Evans finished a check on him along the boards while forechecking. Through the contact of the Evans hit, his skate blade landed in the ankle area of McCabe.
Immediately after the hit, McCabe looked down at his ankle for any damage. Later in the period, he left the bench but did return for the start of the second period, finished the rest of the game, and hasn't missed time since. He was also available to play against the New York Islanders the following night and didn't skip a beat.
"Yeah, I felt it," McCabe admitted. "I looked, and I didn't see blood right away, and then a couple seconds later I did see the blood, so I just got off quickly. Luckily, it wasn't too deep. Cut-proof socks work, and still got cut, but it could have been worse, so I feel thankful."
He said that he has been cut many times and has gone through similar injuries. Because of that, cut-resistant equipment, specifically the socks, has been a staple of his preparation for a long time, dating back to his days with the University of Wisconsin, a stint he endured from 2011-12 to 2013-14.
"I feel like I've been wearing them since, like, even college we were wearing them," McCabe said. "It's been like 15-ish years. I've been caught a few times. I've been caught on my thigh. I cut my finger in college. I cut my tendon, so I don't really mess around with it too much."
He recalls similar instances to the Evans incident against the Canadiens but never to this degree, saying, "that was the first ankle."
While he admitted he was still cut, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been, and he's feeling just fine in the aftermath of it.
"Totally fine. I got very lucky for sure."
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