Jeff Halpern, top, was hurt during Tuesday's loss to Canada in the preliminary round. (Mike Dembeck/Canadian Press)It's one of the worst nightmares for an NHL club: having one of its players seriously injured while on loan to his country's national team.
That scary scenario officially became a harsh reality for the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, when the team confirmed centre Jeff Halpern will miss the next six to eight months after wrecking his right knee at the world hockey championship.
Halpern, the captain of the U.S. team, suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, a Grade 3 sprain to his medial collateral ligament, and a small tear to his lateral meniscus on a collision that sent him into the boards in the third period of Tuesday's 5-4 loss to Canada in Halifax. The diagnosis was made Wednesday by Dr. Benjamin Shaffer in Washington.
Doctors recommended Halpern wait four to six weeks for the MCL injury to heal before undergoing reconstructive surgery on his ACL, which typically carries a recovery time of five to six months.
Halpern, 32, had 20 goals and 22 assists in 83 games for the Dallas Stars and the Lightning this season. The six-foot, 195-pound defensive specialist came to Tampa Bay as part of the late February trade that sent Brad Richards to Dallas.
Halpern has 281 points (115 goals, 166 assists ) in 597 career games with Washingon, Dallas and Tampa Bay.
With files from the Canadian Press
