Olympian Ice Hockey Player Sanni Hakala Paralysed In A Collision

Finnish ice hockey player Sanni Hakala has revealed that she is paralyzed from the chest down following a collision with a goalpost on Friday (November 24) during a club game.

Olympian Ice Hockey Player Sanni Hakala Paralysed In A Collision

When the collision occurred, the two-time Olympic bronze winner was leading her Swedish Women’s Hockey League club, HV71.

Hakala had to be taken to the hospital immediately for emergency surgery, therefore the game was cancelled.

“It is still hard to understand what has happened, that the crash into the goal post was as serious as it was, that the consequences have become so big,” read a message on the 26-year-old’s social media platforms on Thursday (30 November).

“Not only that I am forced to stop playing hockey, something that has been a big part of my life for many years, but I may be forced to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.”

The two-time Olympic medallist crashed head-first into the opponent’s goalpost and lay motionless, receiving the horrifying injury. The team’s game versus Djurgårdens was later postponed as she was eventually stretchered off the ice by medical services.

“It is still hard to understand what has happened. That the crash into the goal post was as serious as it was, that the consequences have become so big. Not only that I am forced to stop playing hockey, something that has been a big part of my life for many years, but that I may be forced to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of my life,” Hakala posted across her social media accounts.

“The injury I sustained last Friday after colliding with the goal post has left me paralyzed from the chest down, with reduced function in my arms and hands. That’s the reality I’m trying to land in.”

Hakala has previously competed for Finland at the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022, when she took home two bronze medals. She just committed to staying with the squad for her seventh season after signing a contract extension earlier this year.

The hockey player, who was born on Halloween in 1997, played on boys’ teams until the age of 15, at which point she signed with JYP Jyväskylä in the Finnish women’s national league, the Naisten SM-sarja.

She departed Finland in November 2016 to sign with the Jönköping-based Swedish Women’s Hockey League team HV71.

In the 2018 Winter Olympics, she scored one goal in six games to help Finland win bronze. In the 2022 competition, she scored one goal in seven games.

At the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship, Hakala made her senior international debut. Since then, she has been a member of the squad each year.

Also, she participated in Finland’s historic first-ever silver medal win in the IIHF Women’s World Championship in 2019.

 

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