The Erie Otters have “reason to believe” Connor McDavid suffered a fracture in his hand while fighting Tuesday night, general manager Sherry Bassin told Hockey Central at Noon Wednesday.
A final diagnosis on the superstar’s injury is expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon after McDavid is examined by a specialist in Toronto. He is out indefinitely.
“He got caught up in the emotion of the moment. He’d had enough,” said Bassin, who believes McDavid takes a lot of abuse in general and received some harsh slashes before his fight.
“Everybody’s telling their players to hit him. That’s the only way they think they can stop him.”
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Speaking passionately, Bassin said the team does not encourage its stars to drop the gloves and downplayed the allure of fighting in junior hockey.
“People don’t come to see fights anymore. That’s a bunch of gobbledygook,” he said. “They come to see Connor McDavids.”
Expected to be drafted first overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, McDavid leads the Ontario Hockey League in scoring with 16 goals and 35 assists in 18 games.
Depending on his diagnosis, McDavid’s availability for the upcoming world junior championship in December could be in doubt.
