Advertisement

AHL team’s bus crash in Massachusetts hospitalizes 5

Share via

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Four players for the Carolina Hurricanes’ top affiliate, the Albany (N.Y.) River Rats of the American Hockey League, and the team’s broadcaster were being treated for serious injuries at a hospital in Pittsfield, Mass., today after the team’s bus was involved in a single-vehicle accident on the Massachusetts Turnpike at 3:30 a.m. EST, the Hurricanes said.

The team was traveling back to Albany after playing in Lowell, Mass., when the the bus slammed into a guardrail, apparently on a snowy road.

Advertisement

Players still hospitalized at Berkshire Medical Center as of midday today were forwards Joe Jensen and Nicolas Blanchard and defensemen Casey Borer and Jonathan Paiement.

Team broadcaster John Hennessy also remained in the hospital. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening.

The River Rats’ scheduled game against Bridgeport (Conn.) on Friday was canceled.

The website Kuklaskorner.com*, a good source of hockey blogging and news, has a link to TV coverage of the accident. (And whoever thought to put an advertisement for a body shop before that video needs a stern lecture). Scary stuff, and amazing that more people weren’t hurt more seriously.

-- Helene Elliott

* Correction: An earlier version of this post misspelled the website’s name.

Advertisement