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In the second period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Jack Eichel skated across the middle of the ice when he got rocked by Matthew Tkachuk.

It was one of the most vicious — yet clean — hits you will see. Eichel’s helmet popped off as the Vegas center got on all fours. He bobbled up, winced and skated directly to the Golden Knights dressing room.

A scrum broke out on the ice as panic set in elsewhere. Eichel was less than two years removed from artificial disc replacement (ADR) surgery on his neck, a procedure that had never been performed on an NHL player before. “He hit me on the shoulder,” Eichel said. “But I was more worried about the whiplash.”

Dr. Mark Lindsay, Eichel’s chiropractor and confidant, received a flurry of texts — including from San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, Eichel’s rehab partner for the first three months post-operation. Everyone wanted to know if Eichel would be okay.

“Every time I watch him I get nervous,” said Dr. Chad Prusmack, the neurosurgeon who performed Eichel’s procedure. “I’ve been less and less nervous lately.”

But on this night, Prusmack waited in angst. “I almost threw up,” he said.

Eichel returned for the third period. On his first shift back, he recorded an assist. Turns out, he just got the wind knocked out of him.

“In a sort of selfish way, I was happy when Jack got hit,” Lindsay said. “Because it showed the resilience of what we did.”

Eichel’s medical saga — his quest for this specific surgery and subsequent blockbuster trade to Vegas — rattled the NHL. Eichel unequivocally fought for himself, showing agency and gumption that’s rare for NHL players who operate in an environment where they’re conditioned to conform.

“The hardest part is some people want you to fail in some ways,” Lindsay said. “But someone had to be the pioneer. Years from now, we’ll be talking about this as the Jack Eichel surgery, in the same way as Tommy John.”


EVEN BEFORE EICHEL became just the second freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award while at Boston University, he was touted as the next great American hockey star. Eichel’s explosive first two strides are as impressive as anyone’s; his blend of size, power, creativity and vision forecasted greatness. The Buffalo Sabres drafted Eichel No. 2 overall in 2015, right behind Connor McDavid. But Eichel’s early career was defined by individual success — scoring 137 goals in his first five seasons, being named captain at age 21 — amid team frustration, as the Sabres extended the NHL’s longest playoff drought.

And then he injured his neck.

Eichel can’t pinpoint exactly when the issues began. “A few years ago, I started dealing with some symptoms,” he said. “It wasn’t necessarily something that was going to keep me out of the lineup, but I was dealing with it and playing through it.”

In a March 2021 game against the Islanders, Eichel hit his head against the boards, which resulted in a herniated disc in his neck. He missed the rest of the season.

Sabres doctors first recommended Eichel take a conservative approach, avoiding surgery and instead rehabbing. When the condition worsened, the Sabres recommended anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF), the traditional gold standard for NHL players. The ACDF surgery has been around for about 50 years, whereas the ADR surgery was much more recent (around 10 years).

Eichel’s personal medical team didn’t just want to fix Eichel’s disc. They wanted to account for how that disc affected the rest of Eichel’s body while protecting the traits that made him elite.

“The spine has three curves, and the reason it’s shaped like that is because it’s for movement,” Lindsay said. “The best athletes in the world move with these transition areas in the spine. Guys like Connor, Cale Makar, Patrick Kane, Jack, the outliers, they move really well there.”

Lindsay rehabbed several NFL players who had the fusion surgery; he didn’t like the resulting rigidity in a segment of the spine.

“In hockey, you’re moving and the puck is moving,” Lindsay said. “When you see it with Jack on the ice, he’s very fluid in his movement. He would have lost that, just to make it super simple, he would have lost the accuracy to make those nice passes that he makes.”

Lindsay encouraged Eichel and his father, Bob, to fly to Colorado to visit Prusmack for a second opinion.

“The fusion has been proven and safe in contact sports, such as football, rugby and hockey,” Prusmack said. “But it’s not ideal.”

Prusmack presented Eichel with a life argument: If he got the fusion, every 10 years, he would run a 10-15% chance of needing another surgery.

“Let’s say life expectancy is 80 and Jack is 20,” Prusmack said. “Well, 60 times 10 is more likely than not he’ll need another fusion in his lifetime, and he may need several. That could be a problem when he’s older … I don’t know if Jack knows what it means to be a grandfather. I don’t know if I do, but I’m there to help him with the goal in hand: He wants to play hockey. So I have to contextualize that issue. But I also need to protect Jack for whatever may happen down the road.”


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Reliving Jack Eichel’s journey to the Stanley Cup Final

Emily Kaplan chronicles the ups and downs of Jack Eichel’s career as he finally makes a deep playoff run with the Golden Knights.

EICHEL BECAME BULLISH about ADR. However the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement with the NHLPA says teams get final say over a player’s medical care. The issue had rarely been raised by players before. Many didn’t even know the rule existed. Suddenly, it was the hottest topic in the NHL.

Sabres doctors felt there was no data that gave them comfort that it would be successful for a hockey player and what the game entails. Eichel wasn’t working a desk job. He was contracted for millions of dollars for a sport predicated on his health, and they wanted to be confident he would be cleared to play.

Eichel contested Buffalo’s stance with the league and the players’ union. Of a panel of spine surgeons, most, if not all, sided with the Sabres. Nobody was willing to be the first. Doctors had to account for the worst possible outcome: paralysis if an artificial disc gets shot into the spinal cord upon impact from a hit. Prusmack pushed back on this, saying: “To my best knowledge, no, there has never been a documented case of that. Even in high speed car accidents, it remains intact.”

Eichel told the Sabres he wanted to be traded. He failed his Sabres physical ahead of the 2021-22 season and GM Kevyn Adams stripped Eichel of his captaincy, saying that role belonged to a player that wanted to be in Buffalo.

At this inflection point, Eichel switched agencies to CAA Hockey. Time was of the essence as he felt increased numbness in his arm from the constant pressure to his disc. Eichel’s new agent, Pat Brisson, worked with the Sabres to find a solution.

“Most general managers we spoke with were interested in a trade,” Brisson said. “However, the majority did not have clearance from their medical staff to get involved in this unprecedented situation.”

Brisson and Eichel collected additional opinions. They sent Eichel’s MRI and visited top specialists across North America. Some agreed with the ADR, but frustratingly for Eichel many top doctors still wouldn’t side with them. Dr. Robert Bray, a neurological spine surgeon in Los Angeles, ordered a full neurological evaluation, then wrote a letter stating it was urgent for a decision to be made one way or another. That created traction. But, Brisson admitted, only a small handful of NHL teams were willing to take on the risk — either their medical teams wouldn’t allow it, or owners didn’t want to take on the remaining five years of a contract paying $10 million per season for a player with so many medical questions. Further complicating matters: Buffalo ownership insisted they wouldn’t retain any money on Eichel’s contract, which limited the market.

In November 2021, the Golden Knights made the gamble in a blockbuster trade involving two players (Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs) and two draft picks (a first and second rounder). Eichel was on Prusmack’s operating table a week later.

And then the real work began.

“Honestly,” Eichel said. “I had no idea what to expect. I was just so happy that chapter was over and I could focus on doing what I love again.”


THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS medical director Jay Mellette worked on a rehab plan and was comfortable allowing Lindsay to lead the way. In fact, Vegas covered most of the costs — a rare move for an NHL franchise to support outside help and opinions.

Lindsay was stationed in Charlotte, North Carolina, having already committed to helping McCaffrey — then with the Panthers — through rehab for an ankle injury.

Lindsay asked McCaffrey if it was OK for Eichel to join too.

McCaffrey, just four months older than Eichel, welcomed a new friend and gladly shared resources, like his personal chef. After all, the rehab process can be isolating and monotonous.

“My approach, you’re not just coming to a clinic on a Tuesday or Thursday,” Lindsay said. “It’s a full-time job.”

Five days after surgery, Lindsay had Eichel back on the ice skating — with no neck brace.

“I wanted him to get back into the natural flow of skating and movement as soon as possible,” Lindsay said. “He was pretty rigid at first. Pretty stiff. I had him on the ice three days a week, just stickhandling. It was an emotional change for him. The frustration of dealing with everything he had to go through, being sidelined for so long. Getting back onto the ice was significant for him, emotionally.”

But Lindsay knew Eichel’s body was a mess having overcompensated for his neck for so long.

“His pelvis needed a lot of work,” Lindsay said. “He was inefficient in overall movements, and that’s what I had to unwind.”

Lindsay focused on rediscovering normal spinal movements and fluidity. Eichel and McCaffrey went rock climbing. They spent a lot of time in the pool, on trampolines and mimicking animal movements.

“It’s amazing how normal I felt so quickly” Eichel said.

Eichel debuted for the Golden Knights in February 2022, three months after surgery and 11 months since his last NHL game. Eichel admitted he wasn’t quite himself as he adjusted back. He was apprehensive of what it would be like to get hit. He also entered later in the season at a time when the intensity ramps up, and the Golden Knights were already battling for a playoff spot. And, of course, the pressure and spotlight was on him.

Vegas missed the postseason for the first time in its history, something Eichel had become used to.


AFTER A SUMMER of health and full training camp, Eichel bounced back. Lindsay lived in Las Vegas this season and works with Eichel every day he’s home that’s not a game day.

In Eichel’s first-ever playoffs he’s thriving, with 23 points in 21 games, second on the team to linemate Jonathan Marchessault. And Eichel is getting the most praise for his defensive play.

He is now one win away from hoisting a Cup. “It’s just crazy to think of how I got in this position,” Eichel said. “I’m really fortunate to be here, to be part of this organization.”

Eichel hopes his story can be an example for other players: To advocate for what they believe in for medical treatment. Within a year of Eichel’s surgery, two other NHL players also got ADR: Tyler Johnson of the Chicago Blackhawks and Joel Farabee of the Philadelphia Flyers. Eichel said another half dozen other players have reached out for his advice.

Prusmack is proud of what they accomplished, but is incredulous over why they even had to fight. The NHL’s CBA runs through the 2025-26 season. Prusmack has known Buffalo’s doctor for years, calling him an “exceptional surgeon and good person.” But Prusmack believes there are inherent biases when you report to a team (Prusmack previously served as a neurosurgical consultant for the Denver Broncos).

“The fact that an institution or team has trump value when you have to invasively cut somebody open, I think that needs to be changed,” Prusmack said. “It’s why Jack’s story is so important. You now have elements of coercion based off economic agreements, which should not be part of our health system. Jack did what he did for the right reasons. I’m proud of him, that’s hard to do in our culture.”

Eichel said he doesn’t feel any effects from the surgery at all; the only sign is a pink scar on the front of his neck.

“I’m so grateful for everyone who helped me get here,” he said. “I’ve never been happier.”

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Ohtani takes Miz deep but phenom fans 12 in win

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Ohtani takes Miz deep but phenom fans 12 in win

MILWAUKEE — Shohei Ohtani greeted Jacob Misiorowski with a leadoff homer, but the Milwaukee Brewers‘ rookie phenom got the last word.

After giving up Ohtani’s 431-foot blast, Misiorowski responded with another dominant outing. He struck out a career-high 12 batters — including two-way superstar Ohtani in the third inning — to lead the Brewers to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

“It’s Shohei Ohtani,” Misiorowski said. “You kind of expect [that]. It’s cool to see him do it in action, but it fires me up even more coming back the next at-bat and striking him out. I’m right there. I think it was a moment of like, ‘OK, now we go.'”

Misiorowski, whose fastball routinely tops 100 mph, threw an 88.2 mph curveball on an 0-2 count to Ohtani, who crushed it for his 31st homer. That’s the most by a Dodgers player before the All-Star break.

It was the 21st career leadoff homer for the three-time MVP, who struck out swinging on a curveball in the third and walked to start the sixth. That was the only walk given up by Misiorowski, who scattered four hits.

“Really good stuff, aggressive in the zone,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “But what really stood out to me was his command and control.”

Misiorowski outdueled three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who surpassed 3,000 career strikeouts in his previous outing. Asked Monday about his matchup with Misiorowski, Kershaw said he only knew that the 6-foot-7 right-hander threw hard.

“I know him now, huh?” Kershaw said Tuesday. “That was super impressive. That was unbelievable. It was really special. Everything. Obviously the velo, but he’s got four pitches, commands the ball. I don’t know how you hit that, honestly. That’s just really tough.”

Misiorowski was glad to get Kershaw’s attention.

“I saw something online that he didn’t now who I was, so I hope he knows me now,” Misiorowski said. “It’s kind of cool.”

In five starts since the Brewers called him up from the minors, Misiorowski has already beaten Kershaw and 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. In another outing, Misiorowski carried a perfect game into the seventh inning.

“He’s just broken the shell,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s just out of the egg, all arms and legs. He’s still got gooey stuff coming off, you can see it, all arms and legs, but there’s something special about him.”

The numbers would indicate as much. Misiorowski is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA and has given up only 12 hits in 25⅔ innings.

He topped out at 101.6 mph and threw 20 pitches of at least 100 on Tuesday. He also threw 19 curveballs after using curves only 10% of the time before Tuesday.

He was coming off his only shaky performance, giving up five runs — including a grand slam by Brandon Nimmo — and three walks over 3⅔ innings Wednesday in a 7-3 loss to the New York Mets.

It looked as if it might be more of the same after Ohtani went deep. Misiorowski responded by striking out 12 of the next 16 batters.

“I think that’s my job, is to figure it out on the fly,” he said. “I feel like I did it tonight.”

He got out of a jam in the sixth. The Dodgers trailed 2-1 and had runners on second and third with one out, but third baseman Andruw Monasterio fielded a grounder and threw out Ohtani at the plate, and Misiorowski retired Michael Conforto on a grounder.

Misiorowski pumped his fist as he headed toward the dugout, then watched the Brewers’ bullpen nail down the win.

“It’s so satisfying,” Misiorowski said. “It’s just a dream come true, to do what I did.”

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Giants walk off on Bailey’s inside-the-park homer

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Giants walk off on Bailey's inside-the-park homer

SAN FRANCISCO — Patrick Bailey hit a three-run, inside-the-park home run with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.

Bailey became just the third catcher in MLB history to hit a walk-off, inside-the-park home run, joining the Chicago Cubs’ Pat Moran in 1907 and the Washington Nationals’ Bennie Tate in 1926.

Bailey’s homer would have been an outside-the-park home run in 29 of 30 ballparks, with Oracle Park being the exception.

Mike Yastrzemski reached base twice and scored to help the Giants to their sixth win in seven games.

Casey Schmitt began the rally with a leadoff double. After Jung Hoo Lee popped out, Wilmer Flores lined a single to center.

Bailey, who grounded into a double play and struck out in two of his previous at-bats, then smashed a 1-0 fastball from Jordan Romano (1-4) into right-center field that ricocheted off the brick part of the wall.

Ryan Walker (2-3) retired one batter, with two on in the top of the ninth, to earn the win.

Phillies All-Star Kyle Schwarber had two hits, including his team-leading 28th home run.

Schwarber flew out, struck out and was hit by a pitch before homering off Giants reliever Spencer Bivens into McCovey Cove. Brandon Marsh, who singled as a pinch hitter leading off the inning, scored on the play.

Two days after being named an All-Star for the second time in his career, Robbie Ray gave up four hits and one run in 5⅔ innings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Mets’ Mendoza: Snubbed Soto ‘an All-Star for us’

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Mets' Mendoza: Snubbed Soto 'an All-Star for us'

BALTIMORE — The New York Mets consider Juan Soto to be a bona fide All-Star, despite the snub he received from those who selected the National League squad for the Midsummer Classic on July 15.

Soto, in his first year with the Mets, has performed well enough to earn the respect of his manager and teammates. In their opinion, he’s deserving of a place in the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.

“He’s an All-Star for us,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday night after the Mets beat Baltimore 7-6. “It’s frustrating, but I’m hoping in the next couple of days we hear something and he makes it.”

Soto drove in the winning run with a sharp single on the first pitch of the 10th inning. That capped a night in which he went 3 for 5 to raise his batting average to .269 with 21 homers and 52 RBIs.

Soto has walked 72 times, by far the most in the majors, but he can also lash out at a pitcher when necessary.

“He’s got a pretty good understanding of what the pitchers are trying to do to him,” Mendoza said. “There is his awareness of the game, he’s going to see pitchers. There are times when he’s going to be aggressive. Tonight was one of those nights. First pitch in the 10th, he’s attacking.”

Soto made the All-Star team as a member of the Nationals, Padres and Yankees each year since 2021. The streak appears to be over. But his teammates believe he deserves to go.

“What he done all year is just incredible, and the results are good enough,” Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes said. “The consistency he’s showed up with, at the at-bats he’s taken, is more than an All-Star. He’s one of the best in the game and a big part of our lineup.”

Soto seems rather philosophical about the snub.

“Sometimes, you’re going to make it and sometimes you don’t,” he told reporters after Sunday’s loss to the Yankees. “It’s just part of baseball.”

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