NHL's Miles Wood Wondered If He Lost an Eye After Injury, 'Most Scared I've Ever Been'

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Miles Wood divulged Thursday that he was worried that his left eye got poked out when he got high-sticked by New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton on Oct. 13.

Speaking to Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch, Wood recalled the fear he felt while being examined by team trainers, saying, "That's the most scared I've ever been. I said to the trainers, 'Break whatever bone you want, just don't take my eye.' ... When I was down on the ice, I thought my eyeball was in my hand when I pulled it away."

Miles Wood High Stick to Eye

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While Wood ultimately avoided a serious injury to his eye, he required "seven or eight" stitches to the area around his eye and is still dealing with some "hazy" vision, although his vision is expected to return to normal, per Hedger.

Wood, who returned to practice Thursday, told reporters that he couldn't see out of his left eye for several minutes until things cleared up after getting stitches, saying, "I think my first words were, 'Is my eye still there?' They put the stitches in, and then for probably 10 minutes after that, it started to clear up slightly ... but for probably a half hour there, it was blacked out."

The 30-year-old Wood is in the midst of his 11th NHL season and his first with the Blue Jackets after getting traded to the team in June.

Wood spent his first eight seasons with the New Jersey Devils and his next two with the Colorado Avalanche before getting shipped to Columbus.

In 516 career NHL regular-season games, Wood has recorded 92 goals and 91 assists for 183 points. His most productive season came with the Devils in 2017-18 when he set career highs with 19 goals and 32 points.

Wood is the son of longtime NHL forward Randy Wood, who played for the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars over 11 seasons.

In his second game as a member of the Blue Jackets on Oct. 11, Wood scored a goal en route to a 7-4 win over the Minnesota Wild.

That remains Wood's only point so far this season, as the eye injury has limited him to only three games played.

Now that Wood is back on the ice and practicing, there is hope that he can return to game action soon, although no timeline has been provided by the team.

The 3-3 Blue Jackets will host the 5-2 Washington Capitals in their next game on Friday night.