Snowblower Takes Out Sakic for Three Months

According to HockeyBuzz, Joe Sakic is making $6 million this year.

Bizarre Injuries

Promising Bulls rookie Derrick Rose needed 10 stitches after reportedly slicing his arm while trying to cut an apple in bed. Click through to see other strange sports injuries that have happened over the years.

Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

After being ruled out of New York's game with Washington due to a hamstring injury, Giants receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg at a club.

George Gojkovich, Getty Images

Los Angeles Dodgers star Chad Billingsley recently needed surgery after fracturing his leg in a fall at his Pennsylvania home. The 24-year-old hurler slipped on ice outside his house and suffered a spiral fracture of the fibula.

Harry How, Getty Images

Darius McClure's season ended when the Florida State safety injured his knee against Boston College while celebrating his first career interception. What was feared to be a torn ACL appeared to be cartilage damage.

Stephen M. Dowell, Orlando Sentinel / MCT

Anthony Kim recently sprained his right ankle and bruised his jaw while horseback riding. The golf pro said the horse raised up and as it came down, his mouth slammed shut as his mount hit the ground.

Mark Ralston, AFP / Getty Images

Warriors guard Monta Ellis severely sprained his ankle during the offseason, but it wasn't from playing hoops like originally believed. The 22-year-old later revealed he sustained the injury in a "low-speed" moped accident. Ellis received a 30-game suspension from the Warriors at the start of the NBA season and will lose about $3 million in salary.

Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt underwent shoulder surgery in September to correct an injury she suffered while trying to stop a raccoon from attacking her dog.

Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel / MCT

Former No. 1 overall pick Erik Johnson suffered a serious knee injury in September after getting his foot caught between the accelerator and the brake of a golf cart during a Blues' team outing.

Dave Sandford, Getty Images

Minnesota Timberwolves center Jason Collins missed the NBA preseason and the start of the regular season with an elbow injury after his golf cart skidded and tipped over in early September.

Rich Pedroncelli, AP

Talk about adding insult to injury. Real Salt Lake forward Fabian Espindola thought he had scored a goal in a Sept. 6 game, so he launched into a celebratory backflip. But Espindola landed wrong, severely spraining his ankle - and then an offside call wiped out the goal.

MLS

Perhaps he'll now use some of that hard-earned cash to hire someone to snowblow his driveway.

The Avalanche announced Wednesday that Sakic will be out for around three months after surgery Tuesday. The surgery wasn't on his ailing back. Instead, Sakic apparently lost a courageous battle with a pesky snowblower at his home.

Yes, I said "snowblower".

(Sakic) suffered three broken fingers and tendon damage following an accident at his home involving a snow blower. Sakic underwent surgery with a local hand specialist, the team said. Sakic suffered the injury Tuesday afternoon at his home. Sakic was already on injured reserve with a herniated disc in his back before the snow blower accident.

Adrain Dater of The Denver Post updated his blog with more details about the accident. I'll share some of that with you after the jump.

Dater's blog now includes some quotes from Avalanche vice president Jean Martineau, who goes into a bit more detail about what happened to Sakic.

"Basically, it's a mistake. He's a 39-year-old adult who made a mistake," Martineau said.

"He put his hand where he should not have put it. He's, in a way, lucky. He'll have a full recovery."

Martineau said he visited Sakic in an unidentified hospital this morning, and that he was "very upset with himself."

"He's very, very mad at himself. I've never seen him like that, and I've known him for 21 years," Martineau said. "He knows he made a mistake."

Joe should try bookmarking this site. It's got some solid tips that could help avoid such an incident.

Huge blow for the Avalanche, though their offense does appear to be coming around. They hung a six-spot on the Kings Tuesday night in Denver.