The Carolina Hurricanes were defeated by the Columbus Blue Jackets by a final score of 3-2 Thursday night. Unfortunately for them, that wasn't their biggest loss of the evening. Defenceman Dougie Hamilton left the game injured, with what is now being reported as a broken fibula.
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Hamilton was battling for a puck along the boards with Columbus forward Kevin Stenlund. After getting tangled up, he fell down to the ice very awkwardly on his left leg.
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This is devastating news for the Hurricanes. Not only has Hamilton been their best defenceman all year, he has been one of the best in the entire league. With 40 points in just 47 games he was truly blossoming into the elite level player everyone thought he could become. His season had been going so well that he was getting some serious Norris Trophy nomination talk.
Thankfully for the Canes, they have some extremely talented young pieces on the backend. The unfortunate thing for them is that Hamilton has become an irreplaceable player. Carolina is currently sitting in the top wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference, although they are tied with both the Philadelphia Flyers and the Columbus Blue Jackets with 56 points. The Canes will try to distance themselves in the standings, but it will be a very tough task without Hamilton in the lineup.
