Oct 30, 2009

NHL's Avalanche Put Tucker On Injured Reserve

Colorado's Forward Suffered Concussion Against Carolina

The NHL's Colorado Avalanche announced that they placed forward Darcy Tucker on the injured reserve list because he had suffered a concussion during Friday night's game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The injury occurred in the second period of the contest when he hit the glass face first after being checked into the boards by Carolina's Tuomo Ruutu. Tucker fell motionless to the ice and remained unconscious for several minutes while team doctors and trainers placed a neck brace on him and strapped him to a backboard. He was then taken to a hospital for tests which revealed that he had a concussion, and then he was released the next morning. The NHL suspended Ruutu for three games as a result of the boarding infraction.

The Avalanche recalled forward Chris Durno from the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL to take Tucker's spot on the roster while he remains on the injured reserve list. The team has not given a clear indication as to what period of time Tucker will be absent, but early indications are that he won't be there for a lengthy stay. The betting line odds of the Avalanche being severely affected by his short absence are extremely low. The Avalanche currently have one of the best records in the NHL, and it is a pretty solid bet that losing Tucker temporarily won't change their ability to continue to win games without him; especially since he isn't expected to be off of the ice for a any extended period of time.

By Bryan Jackson
Staff Writer
Betsportsweb.com
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