Minnesota Wild rookie forward Erik Haula has been diagnosed with a non-displaced fractured jaw three days after the conclusion of the 2014 WHC tournament.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4vLlolO0TE
Just :35 seconds into the gold medal game, Pittsburgh Penguins star forward Evgeni Malkin delivered a cross-check to the face of Haula, who was racing for the puck along the left wing boards deep in the Russian zone. The youngster commonly known as the “Finnesotan” by fans of the State of Hockey collapsed to the ice in pain as his teammates–particularly Finland’s captain and current Winnipeg Jet Olli Jokinen–didn’t take too kindly to the play.
Malkin would not be penalized for the incident as Russia would go on to claim the gold with a 5-2 victory over the Finns. Haula’s recovery time is expected to be three-four weeks, meaning he’ll be just fine by the time September’s training camp rolls around. Thank goodness.