What follows is copied from InfoBeat, which sends me my daily dose of news
about professional hockey:
 
>MINOR-LEAGUER UNDERGOES SURGERY TO REMOVE DAMAGED EYE
>
>(AP) - Jeff Libby, who was hit in the face with the blade of
>another player's skate during an American Hockey League game last
>weekend, had his badly damaged right eye removed Thursday. Libby,
>24, underwent the 90-minute procedure at Massachusetts Eye and
>Ear Infirmary. "This is just the first step in a multistage
>process," Dr. Frank Sutula, who performed the operation, said.
>Libby, a defenseman for Lowell, was injured Saturday in a freak
>accident during a game against St. John's in Newfoundland. The
>accident happened when a St. John's player, skating for the puck,
>was knocked off balance by a check. His leg swung behind his body
>and struck Libby, who was leaning forward to play the puck. Libby
>was not wearing a protective visor, a requirement for college
>hockey players but an optional safety measure foregone by most
>professionals.
>
>Libby was drafted last year by the New York Islanders while
>playing for the University of Maine. After the operation, Libby
>and his parents returned to their home in Waterville, Maine.
>"We're looking forward to getting past this stage and helping
>Jeff with the next steps in his life," his father, Bill Libby,
>said in a statement.