Hockey players are some of the toughest, most dedicated athletes on the planet, and sometimes they will do almost anything to make sure they get back into the lineup to participate in chasing the dream with their teammates, no matter how crazy the idea is.
Take, for instance, what a former Tampa Bay Lightning left winger did while a member of the Lightning in the midst of a playoff run. Alex Killorn had two choices to take care of the broken leg he suffered in game one of the Stanley Cup final. Doctors told him he could let it heal on it's own, which would take months and make him unavailable to play for the remainder of the playoffs, or he could have a rod inserted in hopes he'd be available to go before the series concluded. Killorn chose the latter, and while he missed out on participating in the series because the Lightning wrapped it up in five games, he still had the mentality that he wanted to be part of it, by any means necessary.
Obviously, the National Hockey League has protocols and procedures in place where qualified health care professionals do their best to offer the appropriate advice and top-notch health care available to those who are part of the teams that employ them, but sometimes it's the decision of the player when given more than one option that you have to respect.
But aside from the player wanting to contribute, it always gives the team a boost, and the fans are so appreciative when they know how hard a player has worked to get back into the lineup after a catastrophic injury that, in theory, should have ended their season.
