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MINNETONKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnetonka Boys Hockey Team is back on the ice Friday, saying very little about the apparent injury suffered by standout forward Teddy Lagerback.
Sources have confirmed the junior is dealing with frostbite on his foot, which he sustained after playing in frigid conditions last weekend in Bemidji as part of the annual Hockey Day Minnesota showcase event put on by FOX Sports North and the Minnesota Wild.
Minnetonka opened the event outside against Andover High School Saturday morning in temperatures that started at 27 below zero, according to the National Weather Service.
“I definitely don’t think the game should’ve been played,” said Pete Waggoner, of MNHockey.TV. “Negative 28, 29 degrees, we don’t let kids out for recess. Why are we playing commercialized hockey game in that situation?”
Waggoner is a high school broadcaster and owner-operator of the streaming MNHockey.TV service. In the aftermath of Lagerback’s injury that subsequently forced him to miss Minnetonka’s big matchup with Edina Thursday, Waggoner questioned who made the final call to play in those conditions near Lake Bemidji even with heated benches and heated locker rooms close by.
A Minnetonka spokeswoman, in a statement to FOX 9, said student safety was their top priority and pointed out there were doctors at the Hockey Day event.
“We stayed within the weather guidelines provided by the State High School League,” said the statement.
“As you get to 15-20 below zero or ambient, or wind temperature, then you really need to start thinking, what is the event? What are the risks associated with it?” asked Dr. Ryan Fey, a Hennepin Healthcare surgeon.
Tonight, Lagerback’s family said the young man, who wears number 34, has been “doctoring this week, focusing all his energy on healing and getting healthy for his teammates.”