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Ambulance rushed onto the ice after Finnish hockey champion Juuso Vainio collapses

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TJ Tucker
October 19, 2024  (5:24 PM)
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JYP defenceman Juuso Vainio laid motionless on the ice following a hard hit in Finland, and was forced to wait close to 30 minutes on an ambulance to take him away

A scary scene out of Finland that makes you wonder about how professional hockey leagues take care of their players. Juuso Vainio, a defenceman with the team JYP of the Finnish Elite League (SM-Liiga) waited close to 30 minutes on the ice for an ambulance to come to the arena to pick him up after he head his bell rung on a big hit.

JYP says Juuso Vainio was attended to by a doctor the while time he was waiting, and he was prepped a put on a stretcher. However, he stayed there until an ambulance got to the arena and came onto the ice to take him to a nearby hospital.

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After close to 30 minutes, the ambulance finally arrived and Juuso Vainio was taken off the ice. His team later released a statement saying preliminary checks showed no serious injuries, and Vaino was conscious the entire time he waited for the ambulance.

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"Vainio's examinations found no serious injury and the player's condition is currently stable. Vainio will stay overnight at the central hospital of Central Finland for observation.

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."

The Finnish Elite League has seen bizarre incidents before. In November of last year, there was a wild scene with a coach getting ejected after a tirade. Juuso Vainio, 30, has played in his home country of Finland since turning pro in 2012 other than a two-year stint in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), where he won a championship with Vaxjo. It's great to hear that he's ok and it doesn't sound as though there will be any lasting damage. In many pro leagues, there will be an ambulance and paramedics on the scene the entire time just in case. It's unclear why that wasn't the case in this game between JYP and Kookoo. It's very fortunate that the wait didn't further complicate what could have been some serious injuries. SM-Liiga is a well-respected pro hockey league. Nick Ritchie signed a contract there in January of this year.

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OCTOBRE 19   |   233 ANSWERS
Ambulance rushed onto the ice after Finnish hockey champion Juuso Vainio collapses

Should a pro league game be able to take place without an ambulance in attendance?

Yes219 %
No20487.6 %
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