The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are investigating a gap in protocol which resulted in Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki lingering in a Dallas hospital for hours without care last month with a severe facial injury after taking a 93 mph slap shot to the mouth against the Stars.

Valimaki, 25, was transported to a Dallas hospital by ambulance from American Airlines Center after an undeflected point shot from countryman Jani Hakanpaa drilled him in the face on Nov. 14. 

Sources told Daily Faceoff that Valimaki was dropped off in the emergency room, like any other patient, and left to advocate for his own care with his wife – who happened to be in Dallas at the road game – and a Coyotes team employee. After initial observation, the overworked Dallas hospital staff told Valimaki to find a local hotel and come back in the morning, that their attention was turned toward more critical incoming trauma patients such as gunshot victims.

But Valimaki was in need of immediate care. With his face bloodied, a hole in his mouth and significant internal bleeding, Valimaki was unable to function, sources said. Doctors later told Valimaki that if he had returned to a hotel and slept it off as directed by the hospital, there was a chance he could have asphyxiated on his own blood. It wasn’t until five hours later, and only after the NHLPA stepped in to assist, that Valimaki received 55 stitches in his mouth to close the wound, which included a fractured bone and the loss of three teeth.

“We can confirm that the NHL and NHLPA are jointly investigating this matter,” an NHLPA spokesperson told Daily Faceoff. The NHL did not offer comment on the incident. Because this story focuses on Valimaki’s private medical care, sources with direct knowledge were granted anonymity by Daily Faceoff to discuss the details involved.

The timeline of Valimaki’s injury is startling. Hakanpaa’s shot hit him in the face just after 9 o’clock local time, exactly three minutes into the third period. He left the ice immediately with blood dripping from his mouth. Valimaki was seen by Stars doctors, who told him that surgery was necessary, and he arrived at the hospital at approximately 9:40 p.m. By 10:00, he had received a CT scan to assess the damage, but was told by the hospital that his injury couldn’t be surgically addressed until Thursday – two days later – and was instructed to find a local hotel. The rest of the Coyotes were traveling on from Dallas to Columbus for their next game.

The NHLPA was contacted by Valimaki’s wife, Vilma, around 11 o’clock after he sat in the ER for an hour without care. It took until 1 o’clock in the morning before the wound and Valimaki’s face were even cleaned up. He was admitted to the hospital around 2 o’clock and the wound was closed with 55 stitches, which stopped the bleeding, and finally provided some level of comfort. It took another 12 hours – not until approximately 2 o’clock in the afternoon the following day after the game – for a more delicate surgery to be conducted which properly braced the fractured bone in his mouth and realigned his remaining teeth. After that surgery, Valimaki returned home to Arizona on a flight.

Valimaki’s level of care has been a topic of concern inside the Coyotes’ locker room, as well as at the NHLPA and among the players’ executive board. According to sources, players have asked: Would our counterparts in the NFL, NBA or MLB be treated the same way and just dropped off at the hospital? The NHLPA brought the facts to the NHL and the league has subsequently met with both the Coyotes and Stars, according to sources.

However, it has not become clear that either the Stars or the Coyotes have violated the medical protocol put in place by the NHL and NHLPA. The full protocol is not available publicly.

Most NHL teams do not travel with their own physicians, and road teams typically rely on a home team’s doctors for care. Every arena is required to have two trained physicians within 50 feet of the benches at all times, in addition to a dentist and/or oral surgeon in the arena. Upon exiting the ice, Valimaki was immediately greeted by a Dallas Fire & Rescue EMS team, as seen in the game video. He was examined by Stars doctors, then placed into the ambulance and taken to the hospital. At that point, Valimaki is in the medical care of the hospital, and technically no longer in the care of the Stars. Because the game was ongoing, the Stars’ doctors were required to remain onsite in case of future injury. But it remains unclear whether the Stars’ medical team called to prepare the hospital for Valimaki’s arrival, advocated on his behalf, or stopped by the hospital after the game to ensure proper treatment was being executed. Technically, none of those things is believed to be required by the protocol, and thus, there is no alleged violation. The Stars say they are participating in the league’s investigation.

“The Dallas Stars are aware of the incident involving Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki and are fully cooperating with the NHL and NHLPA in their investigation,” the Stars said in a statement to Daily Faceoff. “The team will have no further comment at this time.”

The Coyotes told Daily Faceoff they did not have any comment on the incident. For the Coyotes’ part, sources say the team acted with care and concern. As is custom, a member of the team’s staff – Devan McConnell, Arizona’s high performance director – remained behind in Dallas with Valimaki at the hospital while the Coyotes flew on to Columbus postgame. McConnell kept in touch with Coyotes management, advocated for him to stay at the hospital to seek care, arranged for a hotel and meals for Valimaki’s wife, and escorted the Valimakis back to Arizona after care was completed. Sources said Valimaki was pleased with Arizona’s care and actions.

Amazingly, Valimaki returned to action for Arizona just two weeks after the injury, and will continue to wear facial protection until the fracture heals. He considered himself lucky.

“My eyes, my nose, my big jaw, my throat, everything is fine,” Valimaki told PHNX Sports. “Realistically, it could have been so much worse, so I think that’s kind of been the perspective that I’ve taken: ‘I’m lucky that I’m playing again after two weeks.’”

Yes, it could have been so much worse, and now we’re left with more questions than answers. What if Valimaki went to a hotel and slept it off? What if Valimaki’s strong-willed wife wasn’t at the game and didn’t contact the NHLPA? What is the extent of responsibility of home team doctors? Why don’t more NHL teams travel with their own physicians? How can this protocol be reshaped to prevent a repeat in the future?

Because if there was no break in the NHL protocol, allowing a player with a severe facial injury to linger in a hospital for hours without care means the protocol is broken.

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