Ambulance rushes to the ice after Finnish hockey star collapses
JYP defenseman Juuso Vainio lay motionless on the ice for nearly 30 minutes after a hard hit in Finland, waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
It was a scary moment in Finland, raising questions about how professional hockey leagues handle player safety. Juuso Vainio, a defenseman for JYP in the Finnish Elite League (SM-Liiga), was knocked down by a big hit, and it took nearly 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive at the arena.
According to JYP, Vainio was attended to by a doctor while waiting and was placed on a stretcher. However he remained on the ice until the ambulance finally reached the arena & transported him to a nearby hospital.
After nearly half an hour Vainio was taken off the ice by the ambulance. Later his team released a statement saying that preliminary checks showed no serious injuries & that he was conscious throughout the ordeal.
The player was conscious the entire time and all of the player's limbs were moving. Vainio was taken by ambulance to Central Finland Hospital for further examinations.
After the situation, the ice was repaired with an ice machine and the game continued as normal."
Though Finland's SM-Liiga is a top professional league this incident has raised concerns. In many pro leagues, an ambulance and paramedics are on standby for emergencies, but it's unclear why that wasn't the case in this game between JYP and Kookoo. Thankfully, Vainio's situation didn't worsen due to the delay.
Vainio, 30, has played in Finland since going pro in 2012, with the exception of two years in Sweden's SHL, where he won a championship with Vaxjo. It's a relief to hear that he's expected to recover without lasting injuries.
