Doing anything after getting hit in the genitals is nearly impossible. Playing a hockey game after having rupturing a testicle used to be impossible until Minnesota native Blake Wheeler proved to the world that anything is possible.
The Plymouth native who starred at Breck School and later scored the game-winning goal for the Gophers to beat North Dakota in the 2007 WCHA Final Five suffered a ruptured testicle in the middle of the game and he just kept playing.
Wheeler suffered the stomach-turning injury when he was hit by a puck on Dec. 15. It happened when he blocked a shot by his teammate Josh Morrissey against the Nashville Predators. Despite the vulcanized rubber orb striking him in the genitals, Wheeler finished the game.
“Well, there’s a difference between being hurt and being injured. I didn’t know I was injured until the next day,” Wheeler said Thursday.
Part of our game is there’s bad bounces. I’ve been around a long time
“It’s something I don’t want to go through again and wouldn’t wish on anyone, but I just feel really grateful that our medical staff and the doctors we have here in town took good care of me and was able to get everything taken care of and back as soon as I was able to.”
Wheeler initially thought he’d miss 4-6 weeks, so not only did he tough out a ruptured testicle but he also returned much faster than anticipated.
Here’s how ClevelandClinic.com describes a ruptured testicle:
A ruptured testicle is a health emergency that happens when the membrane holding the testicle breaks. Testicular rupture can occur with blunt force to your scrotum or a penetrating injury. The injury often requires surgical repair, and sometimes your testicle must be removed. You can maintain fertility with only one healthy testicle.
Wheeler, 36, has nine goals and 17 assists in 29 games this season and has tallied 255 goals and 528 assist in 1,075 NHL games in his career.
