The Philadelphia Flyers had Owen Tippett available, albeit at less than 100%, for the entire first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then, he dubiously sat out all of the second round, despite skating with the team.
On Tuesday, Tippett and the Flyers came forward with a statement explaining the circumstances of the injuries, and full marks to Tippett for dealing with this like a true pro.
On top of Tippett playing through a sports hernia, as revealed officially in the statement, the 27-year-old also revealed that he attempted to come back and play through some internal bleeding, though he was unable to do so safely.
Here's the full statement from Tippett and the Flyers:
"I was unable to return for the second round series vs. Carolina Hurricanes due to an internal bleeding issue that I sustained during the first round series vs. Pittsburgh.
"Following a series of medical evaluations, treatments, and rehabilitation under the care of the Flyers medical team, I am making progress and feeling better each day. Despite being cleared to travel and skate with the team at certain practices, things did not progress at a pace that I hoped for or would allow me to safely continue playing.
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"I am beyond proud of what our team has accomplished this season and truly moved by the tremendous support of the fans.
"I want to sincerely thank everyone for that support — both personally for me and my family, as well as our entire medical and performance staff.
"I am confident for a full recovery and look forward to returning for training camp in September and an exciting year ahead for this organization."
The Flyers winger shared at his exit interview later Tuesday that he is not yet certain if he'll need surgery, which is always a good sign he'll be good to go for training camp.
If Tippett's injuries were more severe, that determination would be easier to come to and would likely take place sooner, all things considered.
As exit interviews progress, the Flyers will have more to share on other injured players, like Rodrigo Abols, Tyson Foerster, Christian Dvorak, and Nikita Grebenkin, now that Tippett has pulled back the curtain on his own situation.
