With the Stanley Cup Final now over and the Colorado Avalanche crowned as champions, the injury horror stories have started to leak out and one big one features former Capitals winger Andre Burakovsky.
Burakovsky was held out of the last four games in the final series with the Tampa Bay Lightning with the painful combination of a broken ankle and a broken thumb.
Bednar says Andre Burakovsky was playing with a broken ankle and thumb. Unbelievable.
— Summer of George (@GeorgeStoia) June 27, 2022
Bura was first injured in Game One of the Western Conference Finals against the Edmonton Oilers when he blocked a slap shot from defenseman Evan Bouchard with his foot/ankle.
He would go on to play just one more time in that series, toughing out 14:15 of ice time in the Avalanche’s Game Four 6-5 overtime victory. Less than two weeks later, he took a puck to the hand in Game Two of the Cup Final via Victor Hedman that NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reports broke his thumb in four places.
Gulitti also says that the 27-year-old Swede was going to attempt to return for a Game Seven if the Lightning had been able to force one with a victory on Sunday.
I never report news anymore, but the Avs Andre Burakovsky is skating on the ice with a stick at Family Sports. His right thumb is wrapped. Here is a video live in the field from my friend who runs a summer camp: pic.twitter.com/b5VosXug7g
— Derek Kessinger (@DerekinDenver) June 22, 2022
As mentioned previously, Burakovsky would not return for another game against the Lightning. It did not end up costing him though as the Avs took home their first Stanley Cup victory since 2001 and Burakovsky’s second of his career.
“It’s just as good (to win his second time),” he told the Washington Post’s Samantha Pell. “To win the Stanley Cup once is really hard. To do it twice is even harder. So proud of this group to be able to dig down going through a lot of injuries, hard work and sacrifice to get this done.”
Congrats again Andre! Heal up!
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