Ex-teammate: Eye injury hindered White

Share

NEWARKDefenseman Colin White will make his return to New Jersey, the place he called home for the first 10 years of his career, on Friday night when the Sharks play the Devils.

White is lucky hes playing at all.

Flash back to September 19, 2007: White suffered what could have very well been a career-ending eye injury when, during practice, he was struck by a puck while defending a two-on-one.

He returned in November that year, but teammate Patrik Elias, who played with White in each of his years in New Jersey, told the New York Post that White was never the same afterwards.

"He has always played hard. But that injury to his eye affected his game," Elias told the paper. "Before he fought a lot. He was scrappy. He didn't give a hoot. And he played a lot of minutes against the best players."

RELATED: Devils without Brodeur for 7-10 days

The Devils decided to buy out the final season of Whites 3 million dollar contract, and the Sharks promptly scooped him up at a discounted price.

White is looking forward to his homecoming.

"I'm sure it will be emotional for me," White told The Post. "There are a lot of friends, a lot of relationships with those guys. But once the game starts, it's going to be strictly hockey."

Contact Us