ST. PAUL, Minn. — The moment Brock Faber was struck with a shot to the neck late in Wednesday’s game, a sense of worry circulated throughout Xcel Energy Center.
None were more concerned than Faber’s parents, Karri and Jay.
“I tried to shoot them a text right away, telling them, ‘I’m not dying, I’m OK,’” Faber recalled Friday. “But it was scary for all of us.”
Considering the scene two nights earlier, it was surprising to see Faber on the ice Friday morning for the team’s skate, and planning to play against Utah.
Faber, in front of the net during a penalty kill, had crumpled to the ice shortly after the Panthers’ Eetu Luostarinen hit him with a rising wrist shot. Faber, the former Gophers star, tossed his gloves and rushed off the ice and into the room for help from the medical staff.
“For a while there, it was very hard to breathe and I couldn’t swallow for a while,” Faber said. “There was a lot of adrenaline, that had something to do with it, too.”
Brock Faber takes a shot up high and bolts off the ice immediately#mnwild pic.twitter.com/AXEMSb8gfw
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 19, 2024
Faber said he was thankful the puck hit him in the right side of his throat, not the middle at the Adam’s apple.
“It could have been a lot worse,” he said.
Once the Wild doctors checked him out in the dressing room, they sent him to a local hospital as a precaution to make sure the swelling didn’t increase. It didn’t take Faber long to realize he’d be OK, though his raspy voice a few days later showed some lingering effects in his larynx. He’s eating regular foods and on some medication.
“My voice has gotten better,” he said. “The night of, I couldn’t form any words. Now I can talk, obviously. Really now it feels like strep throat. Picture a time you had strep throat and had it pretty bad, because that’s how it feels now. The body feels fine, I don’t have chills, so actually it’s better than strep throat.”
Faber said getting hit in the head or neck isn’t something that goes through his mind when he’s playing, and it won’t impact how he approaches the game.
“I never thought about it, it’s just how it goes,” Faber said. “If you get hit in the face, you get hit in the face. We’re fortunate to have a lot of people that help us out. Every guy in here has lost a tooth, chipped a tooth. That’s how it is. You’re not scared of it. It’s the last thing you’re thinking about.”
While there’s some talk around the league on whether to wear more protection, like a neck guard, Faber said that wouldn’t have helped much in this case. He doesn’t plan to add any equipment.
“I’m sticking with what I’ve got right now,” Faber said.
Faber said he’s never experienced something like this before. Then he smiled, turned to his right and knocked the wood on his locker room stall. “And I hope it doesn’t happen again.”
Other roster notes
Marc-Andre Fleury starts Friday against Utah, with Jesper Wallstedt expected to start Saturday in Winnipeg… Filip Gustavsson joined the team at the morning skate, but won’t play Saturday; he’s still day-to-day. Joel Eriksson Ek progressed to a team skate, but he’s not playing this weekend. Yakov Trenin joined the skate late and will keep working his way back… Travis Dermott replaces Jon Merrill in the lineup tonight, with Freddy Gaudreau swapping in on the second line and Ryan Hartman now on the third.
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)