Hockey players are some of the toughest athletes in the world, oftentimes getting stitched up in the middle of games and returning just minutes later. Who knew their fans were the same way?
On Saturday afternoon, Washington Capitals fan Tricia Drummond was watching her team take on the Philadelphia Flyers when a puck flew over the glass in the third period and hit her in the head. The impact from the puck knocked Drummond unconscious and left a nasty gash on the right side of her forehead. As you can see from the video above, several players were concerned with what had just happened.
I took 5 stitches for the team and they won. It's worth it. #Caps @washcaps pic.twitter.com/fSO5Vnzans
— Tricia Drummond (@TriciaDrummond) December 16, 2013
After Drummond woke up, EMS workers from the Verizon Center took her to a medical examining area and determined that she needed stitches. When she heard that Alex Ovechkin had tied the game with a minute left in the third period, she decided the stitches could wait.
@zzAverageGeekzz @JapersRink @washcaps been a hockey player my whole life. We can take some hits.
— Tricia Drummond (@TriciaDrummond) December 16, 2013
“I’ll get stitches later,” Drummond told Yahoo! Sports she was thinking to herself at the time.
Drummond, a former hockey player, returned to her seat with her blood-stained shirt and kept gauze pressed on her wound. The Capitals rewarded her dedication with a 5-4 shootout victory, and she later joked that she now feels even closer to the team.
“Every time you go to a live game, every time you go to an event, you feel closer. The team becomes almost personal,” Drummond said. “I don’t know how much more of a Caps fan I can get.
“My worst hockey injury, and I was a spectator. Go figure.”
Drummond said she had been hit with a puck before during her playing days, but at least she was wearing a helmet. This time, she’s lucky all she needed was a stitch job and some aspirin. That’s what I call dedication.
