Former Finnish national team player and HV71 captain Sanni Hakala has been left paralyzed from the chest down following an on-ice collision last week.
Former Finnish national team player and HV71 captain Sanni Hakala has been left paralyzed from the chest down following an on-ice collision last week.
Finnish hockey star Sanni Hakala released a statement on social media this week providing detail on the serious injury she suffered earlier this month crashing into a goal post.
According to Hakala, the collision has ended the former Finnish national team member and HV71 captain's career, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down.
"It is still hard to understand what has happened, that the crash into the goal post was as serious as it was, that the consequences have become so big," she wrote. "Not only that I am forced to stop playing hockey, something that has been a big part of my life for many years, but that I may be forced to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. The injury I sustained last Friday after colliding with the goal post has left me paralyzed from the chest down, with reduced function in my arms and hands."
Hakala's injury happened last Friday in an SDHL game against Djurgardens. The game was stopped and will be replayed at a later date.