Red Wings' Drew Miller Takes Skate to Face, Avoids Permanent Eye Injury

Detroit Red Wings forward Drew Miller avoided disfigurement by the slimmest of margins Tuesday night when a wild, high skate cut across his cheek and eye socket. 

The scary incident occurred after a faceoff early in the first period of Detroit's 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Miller rushed in to dig out the puck and caught a skate flush in the face as Ottawa winger Mark Stone tumbled forward onto the ice.

It was a freak, but not singular, brand of accident, and Miller quickly gained his feet and left the ice to seek medical attention. Sportsnet.ca's Mike Johnston posted footage of the incident. It's not a sight for the squeamish.

Warning: Video contains images that may be disturbing.

Fortunately, the 31-year-old forward appears to have avoided any permanent damage to his eye, according to Red Wings beat writer Bill Roose:

An image of Miller and his facial lacerations surfaced after the game. It's pretty nasty, and it could've been even worse.

Warning: Image shows a nasty, bloody injury.

The Red Wings remain in third place in the Atlantic Division after the loss to Ottawa. They hold a two-point lead over the Boston Bruins in the standings. 

As for Miller, he's lucky to have left the ice with his face mostly attached and his eye in its proper socket. His visor didn't save him, but it could've been the difference between sight and blindness for the veteran.

Dan is on Twitter. He’d solder a bird cage around his head before taking the ice if he were Miller.