McSween Accepts Season-Ending Injury

The season Don McSween had looked forward to for most of his life lasted only two days before a frightening injury ended it Saturday night in Winnipeg, but he prefers to look at the positive side.

“People get their wrists slashed and some people die,” McSween said. “One of the main arteries could have been severed but instead I have only nerve and tendon damage. I’m thankful I’m not going to lose the use of my hand and I’m looking forward to playing hockey again.”

McSween’s right wrist was slashed by the skate blade of Winnipeg’s Keith Tkachuk with five minutes left in the Mighty Ducks’ game against the Jets.

“I felt something and to this moment I don’t know if it was a lot of pain or the shock of looking at my wrist,” McSween said. “I could see it was split wide open and I could see the inner workings of my wrist, the external skin and the meat-and-potatoes, or muscle. All I remember thinking was that ‘Geez, this is what people die of.’ ”

McSween and the doctors who treated him praised the reactions of Duck trainer Blynn DeNiro and equipment manager Mark O’Neill, as well as the Jets’ medical staff.

“When I got inside they had a tourniquet on it so fast. Almost all the blood I lost, I lost on the ice. The main artery wasn’t severed so it wasn’t like I was going to die, but I didn’t know that at the time. I guess I’m a good bleeder. I put on a hell of a show.”

The injury was particularly scary for McSween’s wife, Deb, who was listening to the game on the radio and didn’t get a report on his condition until about an hour later.

McSween, 30--who became a regular NHL player last season after spending most of seven seasons in the minor leagues--returned home Sunday and is scheduled for further surgery Tuesday to repair significant tendon and nerve damage. But “fortunately for him, his arteries were fine,” said team physician Ronald Glousman, who will perform the operation along with hand specialist Norman Zemel.

“One good thing was finding out that we won,” said McSween, who said he will begin rehabilitating his wrist right after the surgery in preparation for the 1995-96 season. “That made me feel a little better as we were pulling out in the ambulance.”