GREENBURGH, N.Y. โ New York Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello could not speak for four days after being hit in the head by a shot in the opening round of the playoffs and sustaining a small skull fracture and some bleeding.
Three days after the Rangers lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Zuccarello discussed his injury for the first time on Monday.
โI was in the hospital for three days,โ Zuccarello said after meeting with coach Alain Vigneault on the teamโs breakup day at their Westchester training facility. โI couldnโt talk for a while, had a contusion, some blood in my brain. That affects a lot. Now I go to speech therapy. Iโm getting much better. I couldnโt say a word for four days. I feel much better.โ
Zuccarello was hit on the side of the head by teammate Ryan McDonaghโs shot in the series-clinching Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 24. He missed the last two rounds of the playoffs, and said it was unlikely that he would have returned had the Rangers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
The 27-year-old Norwegian also said he lost some feeling in his arm. Zuccarello believes heโll be ready to play next season.
Coyotes make front-office moves
GLENDALE โ The Arizona Coyotes have hired John Chayka as assistant general manager of analytics and promoted Chris OโHearn to assistant general manager of hockey operations.
Arizona also announced Monday that senior vice president and assistant general manager Darcy Regier will serve as general manager of the teamโs new AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons.
Chicagoโs van Riemdsyk will travel to Tampa
CHICAGO โ Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville says Trevor van Riemdsyk skated Monday and will travel with the team to Tampa, Florida, ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Van Riemsdyk is coming back from surgeries on his left knee in November and his right wrist in April. The rookie defenseman was recalled from the minors on May 22, but did not play in the Western Conference finals.
Quenneville was noncommittal when asked Monday about his last two defensemen for Game 1 on Wednesday night. He also said he was unsure about keeping captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane together on Chicagoโs top line.
Columbus signs 2 young players
COLUMBUS, Ohio โ The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed two young defensemen to entry-level contracts.
The team announced that 19-year-old Blake Siebenaler, a 2014 draft pick, has agreed to a three-year deal. The team also inked 21-year-old Dean Kukan to a two-year contract.
