Culkin out 6-8 weeks with a shoulder injury

[Finger Cookin]

@Fan960Steinberg 8m8 minutes ago
Culkin has a shoulder injury. Coach Huska says out 6-8 weeks. #Flames

@Fan960Steinberg 7m7 minutes ago
Horrible news for Culkin. Had the end of last season wiped out with a wrist injury. Now a long term shoulder injury. #Flames

[Money Baer]

Poor kid can't catch a break.

Here's to a speedy recovery.

[jayswin]

I can't imagine the mental stress of having severe injuries when you're trying to make the NHL. It's got to be pretty tough to know you're so close to your dream but know that your injuries could very well be the end of the road.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I remember seeing him go down and sliding into the boards with some Oiler on top of him, and was worried. Then I saw him skating to the bench, and then he looked at the bench and said something, pointing to his shoulder. I was hoping the conversation went something like: "Hey Culkin, did you just slide headfirst into the boards? hahaha", to which I hoped he replied: "Nah, it was my shoulder, not my face.", and thought he was smiling. After not seeing him out for a while, I guess what I saw was a grimace, not a smile :(

[FBI]

It's even more annoying that this happened in a young stars game grrr

[getbak]

This sucks. He was on the verge of getting a call-up prior to his wrist injury, now it will be almost a year between competitive games for him.

[MisterJoji]

Exactly why you don't play your high end prospects every game in the pretty meaningless tournament. Not ragging on Huska at all, just shows holding McDavid and Bennett out of a game or two is smart.

[BigFlameDog]

Exactly why you don't play your high end prospects every game in the pretty meaningless tournament. Not ragging on Huska at all, just shows holding McDavid and Bennett out of a game or two is smart.

This post makes no sense.....he could have been hurt if he played on shift. Should they bubble wrap everyone ?

[868904]

Exactly why you don't play your high end prospects every game in the pretty meaningless tournament. Not ragging on Huska at all, just shows holding McDavid and Bennett out of a game or two is smart.

This tournament is about development and also helps the prospects get ready for main training camp.

A meaningless tournament is the World Cup of hockey. Hopefully, flames players don't get selected for that crap. Hate to lose any of our guys to an injury in that meaningless tournament.

[dammage79]

Poor guy. Bennett came back from Shoulder surgery, so will Culkin. Good luck.

[MisterJoji]

This post makes no sense.....he could have been hurt if he played on shift. Should they bubble wrap everyone ?


Of course not, but every time you're on the ice there's a risk of injury, especially a game where guys are hitting hard to make a good impression. So it's smart to limit your blue chip prospects ice time in a rather meaningless tournament, knowing that they'll be at regular training camp right after.

This tournament is about development and also helps the prospects get ready for main training camp.



A meaningless tournament is the World Cup of hockey. Hopefully, flames players don't get selected for that crap. Hate to lose any of our guys to an injury in that meaningless tournament.


Seriously? Look I'm not really a fan of the World Cup either but it doesn't come close to the meaninglessness of the Penticton tournament. Poll any NHLer and ask if they'd rather be part of the World Cup or Young Stars tournament, it's an obvious answer.

[Fire]

Probably just misses the first 8 games of the AHL season. Not the end of the world.

[Jay Random]

Poll any NHLer and ask if they'd rather be part of the World Cup or Young Stars tournament, it's an obvious answer.

That's because it's a silly question. NHLers aren't eligible to be part of the Young Stars tournament. The players who are eligible are trying to get noticed so they can earn an NHL spot. Ask them if they'd rather be part of the Young Stars, or just skip that tournament and take their chances in the main training camp. You might just get a different answer.

[MisterJoji]

That's because it's a silly question. NHLers aren't eligible to be part of the Young Stars tournament. The players who are eligible are trying to get noticed so they can earn an NHL spot. Ask them if they'd rather be part of the Young Stars, or just skip that tournament and take their chances in the main training camp. You might just get a different answer.


Well then we agree to a point. For the borderline prospects this tourney as vital however my argument is for guys like Bennett, McDavid, etc. Why bother risking an injury to one of those guys when you know they are 100% coming into main training camp and in all likelihood making the team to start the season. It's the same reason why the vets don't play every single pre-season game. Winning the pre-season is meaningless and is mainly to work out the kinks before the season starts. Play them every game and you run the risk of injury for no reason. Would you want to see Giordano play every pre-season game? Then why do you want to see a guy like Bennett play all of the games of this tournament?

[Gundo]

http://images-cdn.moviepilot.com/images/c_fill,h_360,w_480/t_mp_quality/home-alone-i-bet-you-can-t-guess-what-macaulay-culkin-s-been-up-to-recently-jpeg-223851/i-bet-you-can-t-guess-what-macaulay-culkin-s-been-up-to-recently-223851.jpg

[Jay Random]

Well then we agree to a point. For the borderline prospects this tourney as vital however my argument is for guys like Bennett, McDavid, etc. Why bother risking an injury to one of those guys when you know they are 100% coming into main training camp and in all likelihood making the team to start the season.

I agree with you about the conclusion. I just don't agree that your argument gets you there. Of course Bennett and McDavid are coming into main training camp. But that does not put them on the same footing as established NHLers. The comparison was kind of overboard.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

I agree with you about the conclusion. I just don't agree that your argument gets you there. Of course Bennett and McDavid are coming into main training camp. But that does not put them on the same footing as established NHLers. The comparison was kind of overboard.

And I would add that Culkin is hardly a blue-chipper. He can use the time here and hopefully boost his stock at main camp. Just a bad break for him, but hopefully something he can bounce back from.

[tvp2003]

For the sake of everyone's shoulder health, I think the Flames should retire #63 and ensure nobody ever wears it again...

[Aleks]

I remember seeing him go down and sliding into the boards with some Oiler on top of him, and was worried. Then I saw him skating to the bench, and then he looked at the bench and said something, pointing to his shoulder. I was hoping the conversation went something like: "Hey Culkin, did you just slide headfirst into the boards? hahaha", to which I hoped he replied: "Nah, it was my shoulder, not my face.", and thought he was smiling. After not seeing him out for a while, I guess what I saw was a grimace, not a smile :(
And he was getting chirped by Chase the whole time he was skating off the ice to the dressing room

[MisterJoji]

I agree with you about the conclusion. I just don't agree that your argument gets you there. Of course Bennett and McDavid are coming into main training camp. But that does not put them on the same footing as established NHLers. The comparison was kind of overboard.


Well Bennett's not playing tonight. I assume you think he should because he's not an established veteran yet?

[Jay Random]

Well Bennett's not playing tonight. I assume you think he should because he's not an established veteran yet?

You assume wrong. He played in two games out of three. With, what was it, 17 forwards on the tournament roster, there are enough forward spots for everybody to get into two games but hardly anybody to get into three. The coaches had already seen Bennett in action, now it was somebody else's turn.

Look, you appear to be saying that good players ought not to be in the Young Stars at all because of the risk of injury in what you consider a meaningless tournament. I disagree with you, so you assume I mean that good players ought to be in the Young Stars and play every game. Neither one of those things is true.

The tournament is not meaningless; it's an evaluation tool, a chance for prospects who are not yet full-time pros to get up to speed with the team, and therefore, an important part of the rookie camp. The risk of injury is neither here nor there. If you don't play your rookies at something like this, you have to play them in exhibition games, where they will also risk injury; and the risk will probably be greater because they are playing partly against seasoned NHLers and not just against other rookies.

[Rick M.]

Poor guy. Bennett came back from Shoulder surgery, so will Culkin. Good luck.

Has it been confirmed that he's having surgery?

[sureLoss]

Culkin was assigned to Stockton today.

[getbak]

That's a good thing, right? Means he's close to returning?

[sureLoss]

That's a good thing, right? Means he's close to returning?

Should mean he is cleared by the doctors to do full practices.