TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – It happened so fast that neither guy likely knew what hit them on the first day of the Red Wings’ training camp.
“Unfortunately we weren’t able to give heads up to either guy soon enough,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said.
The start of training camp wasn’t 10-minutes old Friday morning when Darren Helm and Jerome Verrier, a 21-year-old camp invitee, were involved a horrific on-ice collision near the team benches at Centre Ice Arena.
Both players, who collided head first – each skating at top speed – were taken to Munson Medical Center for treatment, though Verrier’s injuries were serious enough that he went to the hospital by ambulance.