Patrik Laine shares who was really at fault for him getting injured

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Cooper Godin
October 3, 2024 (3:36 PM)

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Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine says Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare reached out to check on him following an awkward collision on Saturday night.

Saturday night was a tough one for the Montreal Canadiens, who took on their long-time rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in preseason action at the Bell Centre. Less than a minute into the game, the Canadiens lost David Reinbacher to a lower-body injury and after knee surgery earlier this week, it was announced he will miss five-to-six months.

Later on in the first period, Patrik Laine was skating into the Maple Leafs' zone with the puck when he collided knee-on-knee with Cedric Pare. Laine was down on the ice in a lot of pain and needed help back to the bench & to the Canadiens' dressing room. The Finn would be ruled out for the remainder of the game, with Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj trying to seek retribution for the hit, which landed him a game misconduct.

In the days that followed, Canadiens fans were anxiously waiting for an update on Patrik Laine's injury and the team got probably the best case scenario. The Canadiens announced that Laine didn't need surgery on his knee and he would only be out for two-to-three months with a knee sprain, a much better timeline and diagnosis than many were expecting.

The 26-year-old accompanied the Canadiens to Mont-Tremblant for team bonding activities and when meeting with reporters, Laine said that Cedric Pare reached out to him to see how he was doing, which he respected a lot.

Laine also mentioned that it was an awkward collision that he could have avoided by not putting himself in that position.

"I don't think anybody's trying to hurt anybody. Hockey's a fast game, and I kind of put myself in that position a little bit trying to make a stop. It's just an unfortunate collision, and he [Pare] texted me afterwards, which I give him respect for that." Laine said.

It's great to see that Cedric Pare reached out to Laine to check on him after the collision. That's a true sign of sportsmanship and respect and it's something that Patrik Laine won't forget going forward.

The Laine-less Canadiens and Maple Leafs will meet next Wednesday for their respective season openers at the Bell Centre in downtown Montreal.