Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe has some advice for young NHLers after he took a brutal high stick that cut his face open.
McCabe left Tuesday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a 6-2 Maple Leafs win, in the first period after Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson caught him with a high stick, cutting McCabe’s face wide open above his eye. Johnson was assessed a double-minor on the play for causing blood on a high stick.
Fortunately, McCabe is OK, and he will play tonight for the Maple Leafs when they take on the New York Rangers. But the injury could have been far worse, and now McCabe is speaking out about it.
Jake McCabe Advises Young Players About High Sticks
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Maple Leafs’ game on Thursday against the Rangers, McCabe shared some sage advice about younger NHLers needing to keep their sticks down.
“I’ll be honest. I think guys can take better care of their sticks, for sure. Obviously it’s an accident. You know, I’m not going to fault him for that. But just a general consensus: I’ve gotten a couple high sticks last three, four games, and they seem to be from younger players. So, keep your stick down,” McCabe said (via Sportsnet).
Teammate Praises Jake McCabe’s Toughness
While some players may have wanted to take some time off after receiving such a brutal cut above their eye, McCabe will play in the very next game, and his teammate Darren Raddysh had nothing but high praise for the leadership and grit that McCabe is showing his teammates.
“Jake’s a tough character. After I saw the replay of that, I thought: Oh, my God, that didn’t look good. And seeing him now, I think that the docs helped him out pretty good there,” Raddysh said.
“It was a pretty bad cut. But Jake’s an unbelievable defenceman. He’s played for a long time, and he’s made a great career of the way he plays. And it just shows how tough he is. He’s probably not going to miss a game just from what happened.”
Jake McCabe Has Advice for Young NHLers After Brutal High Stick