Maple Leafs’ Jake McCabe avoids serious injury but advises young NHLers

Oct 22, 2026, 2:27 PM ET|Comments (0)

from Sportsnet, by Luke Fox,

TORONTO — Jake McCabe doesn’t believe Kent Johnson intended to nearly take out his left eye, but that doesn’t mean he’s giving the 24-year-old Columbus Blue Jackets forward a complete forgive-and-forget pass.

“I'll be honest. I think guys can take better care of their sticks, for sure,” McCabe said Thursday morning, sporting a gruesome bruise, a broken blood vessel and a patched cut over his left eye. “Obviously it's an accident. You know, I'm not going to fault him for that. But just a general consensus: I've gotten a couple high sticks last three, four games, and they seem to be from younger players. So, keep your stick down.”

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