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Dan Hamhuis, Canucks defenceman, to have surgery for facial fracture

The Vancouver Canucks have a big void to fill on their blue-line after Dan Hamhuis suffered a facial fracture when he took a slapshot to the face in Wednesday night's 2-1 win over the visiting New York Rangers. He will have surgery on Friday.

Recovery time to be determined

Doug Harrison · CBC Sports ·
Vancouver Canucks' Dan Hamhuis was helped off the ice after being struck in the mouth by the puck during third period of a game against the Rangers. (Daryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

The Vancouver Canucks have a big void to fill on their blue-line after Dan Hamhuis suffered a facial fracture when he took a slapshot to the face in Wednesday night's 2-1 win over the visiting New York Rangers.

Hamhuis, who has four assists and a plus-7 rating in 27 games this season while averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time, will have surgery Friday and there is no timetable for his return.

In a wild third period, the 32-year-old lost the puck to the Rangers' Derick Brassard, who fed it back to teammate Brian Boyle.

Boyle's ensuing slapshot hit Hamhuis directly on the left side of the face. He fell to the ice immediately and bled heavily as he exited the game. 

Warning: Graphic content

Hamhuis was seen leaving Rogers Arena on a stretcher and spent the night in hospital.

Vancouver head coach Willie Desjardins addressed the injury after Wednesday's game.

"It's scary," he said. "It's a hard thing to take. He'll suffer with that for a little while."

A member of Canada's 2014 men's Olympic hockey team, Hamhuis suffered a groin injury last season that kept him out of the lineup for an extended period of time.

He opted against surgery and came back in the middle of January after rehabilitation, but seemed to have lost a step and finished with just one goal and 22 assists in 59 games.

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