The NHL has had fantastic to terrible ice hockey experiences over the years. The sport gets pretty physical on the ice rink, which causes a lot of players to get injuries that range from normal to fatal. Although, there are also some players who have gone through these horrific injuries and recovered.

Unfortunately, NHL star Kurtis Foster went through a horrifying collision back in the 2007-08 season of the NHL. What did the incident entail that pushed a promising NHL star to head for a tragic end for the entire season?

Foster–Sharks collision had serious consequences for the former

The collision during the 2007-08 NHL season was so intense that the NHL modified its rules after the season just to avoid accidents like this in the future. But the consequences of the collision left a significant dent in his performance for that particular season as he had to retire for serious medical concerns.

Minnesota Wild’s Kurtis Foster collided with San Jose Sharks rookie Torrey Mitchell, who was racing to the puck to prevent an icing call. Unfortunately, the collision shattered Foster’s femur into three pieces. This also made him skip the entire 2007-08 season and half of the 2008-09 season just to recover from the injury.

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Because of the injury, the NHL star had to go through a tough surgery. To stabilize his upper leg, a rod was inserted. It also required three screws to maintain the integrity of the bony structure—two in his knee and one in his hip. Even after the tragic accident, the NHL star was back on the ice rink just after a year.

Nothing can beat the determination of the NHL player

Even after nearly losing the ability to walk properly, Kurtis Foster refused to give up on his beloved sport. The accident in 2008 that ruined his entire season and half of the following season did not demotivate the NHL star. He returned to the ice rink at the end of the 2009-10 season after making a full recovery.

Kurtis Foster played for the next five years after the injury, and in that course of time, he switched a lot of teams. This included the Tampa Bay Lightning (2009-10), and the Edmonton Oilers (2010-11). In the 2011-12 season, he changed around three clubs and the last club that he played for was the Philadelphia Flyers (2012-2013). Foster became a free agent after that and got into the European hockey leagues. He retired from the sport in 2016 and started his coaching career afterward.

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What do you think of the determination of Kurtis Foster? Let us know in the comment section.