Parrish sent to hospital after big hit by Avs' Salei

Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

Mark Parrish was helped off the iced after being injured in the second period.

By KENT YOUNGBLOOD, Star Tribune

Last update: April 10, 2008 - 12:27 AM

If it looked scary from the stands, imagine what it looked like from the Wild bench.

Less than 4 minutes into the second period of the Wild's playoff opener against Colorado on Wednesday at Xcel Energy Center, on an icing, Mark Parrish was driven into the boards by Avalanche defenseman Rusan Salei. Parrish fell headfirst, into the boards near the Wild's bench, then he collapsed onto the ice.

He was attended to by the Wild medical staff. After several minutes, he was able to get up and make his way slowly to the team's dressing room. He was diagnosed with a head injury and did not return.

"It's a good thing he got up by himself," Wild center Mikko Koivu said. "I was right there. I got scared when I saw him come to the boards."

Parrish was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was given tests that the team said he passed. Parrish went home and will be re-evaluated today.

Salei, who was not penalized on the play, is known as one of the hardest-hitting defensemen in the game. In 1999, he was suspended for 10 games after checking Dallas' Mike Modano into the boards.

Asked about the play, Salei said he checked Parrish, then turned away and never saw him hit the boards.

The decision to play Parrish instead of Chris Simon was made after the warmup skate.

Reitz arrives

It's not an official callup, but defenseman Erik Reitz arrived at Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday with his gear to begin working his way back from an ankle injury. He hasn't played since March 9.

The Wild may need Reitz, who had 34 points in 49 games for AHL Houston, if the Wild sustains another injury to its defensive corps.

"I'm here to be a safety valve," Reitz said. "Maybe if I prove something in practice, I might get into a game."

Seeing clearly

Wednesday morning Wild assistant coach Mike Ramsey did what he's done every morning since his February surgery to repair a detached retina in his eye: He awoke, covered the eye, stood up and then looked down at the floor.

And he saw clearly. A gas bubble had been put into the eye to keep the retina in place. Until it went away Ramsey was unable to fly; he missed every Wild road game since.

Ramsey will have a final examination Friday to get the final OK to fly.

Unhappy homecoming

The last game of Jordan Leopold's collegiate career took place at Xcel Energy Center when the Gophers won the NCAA championship in 2002. "There are good memories here, definitely," Leopold said. "A lot of special things, special times. But those are in the past now, and we have to look at the present."

The present has not been kind to Leopold. The Golden Valley native, who suffered through a second-consecutive injury-plagued season, was a healthy scratch Wednesday.

"There were six [defensemen] that basically played all these games down the stretch run," Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said. "The pairs have been familiar with one another. We like the depth that he provides us; we expect him to be playing at some point."

Leopold was limited to 15 games in 2006-07 and 43 this season.

"I think it hurts any time," Leopold said of being scratched. "But, yeah, I'd like to be playing in the playoffs. It's the best hockey time of the year, and the intensity picks up. It's a lot of fun. But right now, I just have to wait my turn."

Lemaire's quiet time

Lemaire kept everything close to the vest Wednesday morning. Asked if he practices saying nothing in front of the mirror, Lemaire said, "Oh my God, it's not easy."

Staff Writers Judd Zulgad and Michael Russo contributed to this report.

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