hockey prospect loses sight in left eye, NHL dream is over

Jordan Smith loses sight in left eye, NHL dream is over
By David Helwig
SooTodaycom
Monday, March 06, 2006

The professional hockey career of Mighty Ducks prospect Jordan Smith ended tonight, after officials at Maine Medical Center announced that the former Saultite won't regain vision in his injured eye.

The 20-year-old Portland Pirates defenseman underwent a second surgical intervention today, but the purpose was solely cosmetic and to improve his comfort.

An assessment prior to today's surgery had indicated sight could not be restored to the eye.

Smith was hit in face by a deflected puck on February 24 during a game against Manchester Monarchs.

The puck cut his eye and broke that orbital bone surrounding it.

Smith was not wearing a visor at the time.

The following news release was issued tonight by Portland Pirates:

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Mighty Ducks prospect Jordan Smith undergoes second surgery

Monday, March 06, 2006

Portland, Maine - The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Portland Pirates announced today that Jordan Smith is recovering at Maine Medical Center after a second successful surgery performed on his left eye.

Smith is under the care of orbital specialist Dr. Natan D. Kahn M.D., and retinal specialist Dr. Jeffrey K. Moore M.D.

"Today Jordan underwent a second surgery on his left eye, which was uncomplicated. It was determined pre-operatively that vision in the eye could not be restored and the intent of today's operation was to keep the eye comfortable and achieve the best cosmetic outcome. The surgery was successful in all aspects and he is recovering well and will be discharged tomorrow," said Dr. Moore.

Today's surgery came 10 days after Smith experienced extreme trauma to his left eye, caused by a deflected puck on February 24 as Portland faced Manchester.

At that time, Smith received emergency eye surgery performed by Dr. Moore and Dr. Kahn at Maine Eye Center.

"This is a very difficult situation for a young, brave man to go through. Our thoughts are with the entire Smith family, and Jordan will always be a part of ours," said Executive Vice President and General Manager Brian Burke. "He will rebound from this and we will be there for him and his family as they move forward from here."

"It has been an emotional time for our team and all of our players. They all realize how fragile and incredibly special their playing careers are. All of our guys admire Jordan for his character and courage and we will all feed off his strong resolve that he has shown this past week," said Pirates head coach Kevin Dineen.

Smith was drafted in the second round (39th overall) of the 2004 NHL entry draft.

In his first year of professional hockey, he has recorded 6-8=14 points and 145 penalty minutes in 55 games with Portland this season.


sad to see an up-comming nhl player going down like this