NHL, NHLPA investigating mistreatment of Coyotes' Valimaki

The NHL and NHLPA are looking into how Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki was left without care at a Dallas hospital for several hours after taking a slap shot to the mouth in November, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

Valimaki and his wife were reportedly left to fend for themselves, along with a Coyotes employee, when he was dropped off at the emergency room by ambulance during an overtime loss to the Stars on Nov. 14.

After performing an initial CT scan, the hospital staff told Valimaki to book a local hotel room and return the next morning, sources told Seravalli. The staff made the suggestion because they couldn't perform surgery on Valimaki until two days later. They said they had to prioritize more critical patients like those suffering from gunshot wounds.

However, the Finnish rearguard required immediate attention given that he had significant internal bleeding, a hole in his mouth, and a bloodied face, sources said. He was reportedly unable to function.

Doctors later told Valimaki that he may have suffocated on his own blood had he taken the hospital's advice and left for a hotel.

The NHLPA helped arrange for him to get treatment five hours later, and he received 55 stitches in his mouth to seal the wound. Valimaki had a broken bone and also lost a few teeth.

His wife, Vilma, reached out to the players' union after her husband waited in the ER for an hour without receiving care. Two hours after that, his wound and his face were finally cleaned up. He underwent the proper surgery the next day.

The NHLPA reportedly divulged details of the incident to the NHL, which then met with both the Coyotes and the Stars. It's unclear whether either team violated league protocol because it's not shared publicly.

The team employee who stayed with them at the hospital was high performance director Devan McConnell, according to Seravalli. McConnell maintained contact with Coyotes management, advocated for Valimaki to remain at the hospital to seek care, planned for a hotel and meals for Vilma, and flew back to Arizona with the Valimakis once Juuso's treatment at the hospital was finished.

Valimaki was reportedly pleased with how the Coyotes handled his situation.

He returned to the ice about two weeks later after missing six games. He's been wearing a full cage ever since and plans to do so until his injuries heal.

The 25-year-old has six assists with what would be a career-high average ice time of 18:22 across 22 contests this season. He's in his second campaign with the Coyotes after playing his first three with the Calgary Flames, who drafted him 16th overall in 2017.