If you felt a shiver go down your spine and a disturbance in the force yesterday, it was because Calgary Flames centre Mikael Backlund got clobbered with a high hit from Finland's Sami Lepisto during Sweden's 2-0 victory over Finland yesterday at the World Cup of Hockey.
While Backlund finished the game, a report from our friends at the Swedish publication Expressen indicate that Backlund will be absent from today's game against North America and will miss the remainder of the tournament.
It's troubling news if you're not a big fan of the tournament. It's even more troubling news when you factor in that Backlund is easily the Flames' best 200-foot centre (and arguably their best 200-foot player, period).