2008 Woodie Awards
Trotter bounces back from severe injury
Redshirted freshman returned to lead Pioneers in scoring
Brooks Kirchheimer
Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: Sports
The black puck was hit to the opposite end of the glassy ice when then-freshman Brock Trotter swiftly skated down to fore check. As he approached the puck, he collided with the captain and defenseman of North Dakota, Matt Smaby. Trotter fell first and Smaby, instead of striking the ice, saw his skate and blade slide down the back of Trotter's leg.
Trotter tried to push himself up and return to action, but he quickly realized his leg was numb and blood was trickling down his now blood-stained white socks. UND goalie Jordan Parise saw the cut, the blood and the painful looking face on Trotter and quickly called over medical help.
Trotter woke up the next morning in a Grand Forks hospital following surgery. He would soon hear the devastating news. He would be out for the season with a severed right Achilles tendon.
Not only was it a learning experience for Trotter, but for the doctors too.
"They said there was no way I would be playing this year. The doctors had never really seen an Achilles torn by a skate before. We just went one step at a time with rehab," said Trotter.
Just like that, just five games into what figured to be a very promising freshman season, was done, finished, over. In just four full games, Trotter had been named WCHA rookie of the week for scoring three goals and dishing off two assists.
No doubt while he was lying in the hospital bed hockey was in the forefront of his head. "Hopefully I will be able to play hockey again was the first thing. You never really know the extent to the injury until you get diagnosed by one of the doctors, I was trying to stay positive and go from there," Trotter said.
Trotter's hockey career started at the age of two in Brandon, Manitoba, when he would skate around the pond in his backyard.
"All my older brothers started playing, so I just kind of was brought up with it. I had an ice rink right in my backyard so hockey was just kind of always a part of my life growing up, I guess."
Trotter tried to push himself up and return to action, but he quickly realized his leg was numb and blood was trickling down his now blood-stained white socks. UND goalie Jordan Parise saw the cut, the blood and the painful looking face on Trotter and quickly called over medical help.
Trotter woke up the next morning in a Grand Forks hospital following surgery. He would soon hear the devastating news. He would be out for the season with a severed right Achilles tendon.
Not only was it a learning experience for Trotter, but for the doctors too.
"They said there was no way I would be playing this year. The doctors had never really seen an Achilles torn by a skate before. We just went one step at a time with rehab," said Trotter.
Just like that, just five games into what figured to be a very promising freshman season, was done, finished, over. In just four full games, Trotter had been named WCHA rookie of the week for scoring three goals and dishing off two assists.
No doubt while he was lying in the hospital bed hockey was in the forefront of his head. "Hopefully I will be able to play hockey again was the first thing. You never really know the extent to the injury until you get diagnosed by one of the doctors, I was trying to stay positive and go from there," Trotter said.
Trotter's hockey career started at the age of two in Brandon, Manitoba, when he would skate around the pond in his backyard.
"All my older brothers started playing, so I just kind of was brought up with it. I had an ice rink right in my backyard so hockey was just kind of always a part of my life growing up, I guess."
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