Phil Kessel injured after successfully making eye-contact with Dion Phaneuf - The Beaverton

Phil Kessel injured after successfully making eye-contact with Dion Phaneuf

TORONTO – A smiling but badly injured was rushed off the ice during a game last night after he managed to sustain eye-contact with teammate .

“We all heard a loud snap and some kind of tearing sound, and next thing we knew Phil [Kessel] was laying on the ice,” said Leafs forward . “He kept saying, ‘I did it, I did it,’ and he had this maniacal grin on his face, but he was obviously in a lot of pain too.”

Added Bozak: “The whole team is really proud of Phil. Scoring 30 goals in four straight seasons is one thing, but making eye contact with a fellow human…That is definitely a first in his playing career.”

As of press time, Kessel is expected to miss four games with a soft tissue neck injury while Phaneuf is being treated for pulling several muscles in his face, the result of a small smile he made following the eye-contact with Kessel.