John Carlson close to return after scary head injury

via John McDonnell/The Washington Post

The date is December 23, 2022 and the Washington Capitals are facing off with the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg won a faceoff in their offensive zone back to defenseman Brendan Dillon who fired a slapshot toward the net. The puck did not make it to the net though and instead, it struck Washington’s top defenseman John Carlson on the right side of his head. The shot was moving 90 miles per hour.

Carlson was able to skate off the ice on his own strength, but it was too severe for the in-arena medical care to treat so he was brought out of the arena on a stretcher and went to the hospital where he stayed overnight. Carlson has experienced injuries similar to this throughout his long career, but he says this one was very different. He described the puck hitting him as getting struck by lightning. He had never been bleeding that much from an injury. “The only way I could describe it is, just survival,” Carlson said when discussing the injury.

Carlson revealed that the 90 mph shot gave him a small fracture in his skull above his right ear and a severed temporal artery. His wife later revealed that part of his right ear had to be reattached. He did not lose consciousness at any point and did not even get a concussion.

Carlson’s injury played a big factor in the Capitals’ struggles this season as their record since the injury is 14-17-3 and they are likely to miss the playoffs.

Luckily for Washington, Carlson’s return seems to be on the horizon. He was with the team for part of their western road trip and has begun practicing with a non-contact jersey. The team has not set a date yet, but Carlson’s three-month absence seems to be coming to an end.