DALLAS — Anaheim defenceman Stephane Robidas wound up in a hospital with a broken leg Monday night, just as he did the last time he played in Dallas when he was still with the Stars.
Robidas had to be helped off the ice after his right leg bent awkwardly when a sliding Ryan Garbutt of Dallas undercut him and knocked him to the ice early in the second period of the Ducks’ 3-0 loss in Game 3 of a first-round series.
The play happened in front of Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen, who was a teammate Nov. 29 when Robidas slid hard into the boards and had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher.
Programming Note: Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers will air on Sportsnet 360 Tuesday night beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
"I saw him go down and when I saw who it was, I felt bad," Lehtonen said of the latest injury, which the team said was just above the previous fracture.
Robidas never played for Dallas again and was sent to Anaheim just before the trade deadline for a fourth-round draft pick.
Stars fans cheered for the 37-year-old Robidas, chanting "Robi, Robi!" as he left the ice. He was transported to a hospital.
"He worked so hard to come back and be big part of this team," Anaheim’s Cam Fowler said. "He was going to play a huge role for us."
The news was equally shocking in his old locker room. Robidas spent parts of 11 seasons with the Stars.
"Since I got here, he’s been a big part of who I am and what I became," Dallas defenceman Trevor Daley said. "I was in tears when it happened with us. I have a similar feeling right now. It’s just a bad feeling in my stomach."
