NHL Player Given Bed Rest After Taking a Stick to the Eye

PHILADELHPIA (AP) -- Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger will miss two to three weeks and spend the next few days on bed rest after taking a stick to the right eye against Toronto.

Pronger and Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski sprinted for a loose puck in the circle after a rebound off Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky on Monday night. Grabovski slapped at the puck, but his stick connected with Pronger's stick and the blade shot straight up into the defenseman's face.

Pronger screamed in agony and instantly clutched his face. Hunched over, he skated straight to the bench, his hands over his eyes, and went to the dressing room with 8:02 left in the first period.

Pronger does not wear a visor. General manager Paul Holmgren said Pronger would not be cleared to play unless he wears one. Holmgren said Pronger complained of blurred vision.

"I think he was very scared and rightly so," Holmgren said. "When something like that happens to your eye, you're worried about what's going on. I think he settled down over a period of time and was fine when he left."

The Flyers beat the Maple Leafs 4-2.