The little trail of blood from the corner of David Clarkson’s left eye yesterday was a poignant reminder of that terrible day Sept. 19, 2007.
With former Devil Colin White coming in with the Sharks for his first game tomorrow against the team he played with for 10 seasons, the laceration seemed almost eerie.
“That’s the way it always happens. The puck rides up your stick,” Clarkson said of the cut that resulted from a stick-blocked shot.
That’s the way it happened to White, except a few stitches didn’t suffice. White essentially lost clear vision in his right eye when struck by just such a self-blocked shot, now more than four years ago.
White likely could have taken disability and been paid through this season, but instead he elected to resume playing with a shield and shadowy vision in his right eye.
“He has always played hard. But that injury to his eye affected his game,” said Patrik Elias, who teamed with White all 10 seasons. “Before he fought a lot. He was scrappy. He didn’t give a [hoot]. And he played a lot of minutes against the best players.”
“It’s tough to imagine. I don’t know how anyone does it,” Dainius Zubrus said of playing with significantly impaired vision. “It’s one thing when your body’s sore, but your vision? It’s tough to adjust. There are going to be spots you’d see that you’re not seeing.”
Clarkson said he wasn’t moved to don a faceshield after yesterday’s episode.
“The way I play, fighting and everything else, I just couldn’t do it,” Clarkson said.
White, 33, has moved on from that injury, in two senses. Besides trying to ignore his sight handicap, he’s wearing a different uniform.
He was bought out of his final $3 million contract season by the Devils during the summer, to receive $2 million. The Sharks promptly signed him to a $1 million deal, and now it’s West Coast Whitey. He’s been looking forward to tomorrow since he signed.
“I’m sure it will be emotional for me,” White told The Post. “There are a lot of friends, a lot of relationships with those guys. But once the game starts, it’s going to be strictly hockey.”
The Sharks are expected to contend again for the Stanley Cup but have opened 1-3, 13th of 15 in the West.
“It’s been different. It’s definitely a change for me, being in a different organization. But every organization is a little different, and still the main goal is the same — to win. That doesn’t change with any team,” White said. “I’m sure there will be bumps on both sides, not necessary towards any particular player. But we need the win.”