Logan actually used to have 10 fingers - an eye witness testimony

[VattghernCZ 1,061]

Two things are sure about Logan Ninefingers @Scurvy. First, he's one hell of a hockey player. Second, he's one of the toughest MFers in the North. One would be proud to follow him and call him their chieftain. That's what the C on the chest stands for, right? The Chieftain.

 

But a thing not many people know about Ninefingers is how he lost the middle finger on his left hand.

 

I was there, in Seattle, 9 years ago, to witness the Bloody-Nine’s career- and character-defining moment. It was a game against the Spokane Chiefs early in the season. I think it was the Thunderbirds' 11th game and the Chiefs' 10th one. For Seattle, it was the second game of a back-to-back homestand. They had lost a frustrating game to the Vancouver Giants the day before. A game they should have won. They had been up 3-0 to start the 3rd period, but they couldn't get a save and ended up losing 3-4 in overtime. The Giants were not a great team; it was before Petan Jr. and Harrington. Which made it even more frustrating for the Thunderbirds, who had been struggling to get going and string together some wins.

 

Back then, I was a medical professional employed by the Seattle Thunderbirds. I was the head of their EMS team. Have you ever seen those “doctor reacts to NHL injuries” YouTube videos? That's basically what I was doing, but live, rinkside. You can imagine I have seen a good share of hockey injuries. But I had only worked in junior leagues before this incident, so I had not witnessed that many fights, let alone straight-up brawls. These are still kids after all.

 

I remember first meeting Logan. Don't get me wrong, I liked the kid. We're still in contact to this day. But my immediate thought was, “Oh boy, I should ask for a raise." I think he's like 6’5” now, looks 230-ish pounds. Even as a 16-year-old kid, he came in at 6’3.7” and 193.6 pounds. He had not had a history of getting into any physical altercations or anything. He was a polite, really laid-back kid. But had that wild sort of look, you know. It's hard to put in words. But I immediately knew once he gets comfortable, he's going to be a violent player.

 

And he really became one, leading the Thunderbirds in hits and the whole WHL in penalty minutes, despite missing a few games after losing his finger. As a rookie! Anyway, I digress too much. Let's get back to the ice, to the Thunderbirds-Chiefs game. To the clash of two rivals.

 

Logan was playing on the right wing of the Thunderbirds 4th line. The game was tied at 3 with about 6 minutes left, and Logan’s line was on the ice. I must admit the majority of the junior players don't really stay in my memories, and Logan's center was one of these guys. He could skate, but I think he ended up not drafted and playing in the ECHL. Anyway, he used those legs of his and got a partial breakaway before a Chiefs' player dived and tripped the Seattle center. Poor kid fell, awkwardly bent his knee, and continued sliding full speed, head first into the boards. Immediately, we were running to the kid, with the guys with stretchers not far behind. The knee was okay, but he missed some time due to a concussion.

 

Logan was having none of it. He grabbed the guy’s collar with his left hand, pushed him against the boards, and did a good makeover on his face with his right hand before the remaining players of both teams, as well as the referees, managed to split the two. But Logan lost his balance, fell, and the Chiefs swarmed him. I knew things got very, very bad when I saw blood on the ice. Lots of it. I don't think Logan realized in his adrenaline rush. He managed to rise, grabbed his original target—blood all over his left hand and left sleeve—I kid you not, lifted the guy above his head, and threw him through the stretcher that was just arriving on the gruesome scene. That's when I saw a Chiefs' player holding Logan's severed finger in his hand. I immediately bolted for it, grabbed it, and ran to Logan, who was fighting—quite admirably—against being restrained by the officials.

 

You know what the scariest thing was? Throughout the whole ordeal, Logan did not make a sound. Not a word. Not a scream or a cry. Nothing. Just a cold stare. I pleaded and urged him to stop fighting. "We need to act fast, Logan! Do you want to save your finger or not?" I was shouting in his face. But the man just didn't give a damn. He broke free from the officials, pulled his severed finger from my hand...and did a victory lap, holding that thing in his right hand.

 

I was petrified. I had no idea what to do. It all felt so surreal. It was his victory lap that made the crowd realize what had happened. Someone standing a few rows above the penalty box started chanting “Bloody-Nine”, and people were joining him. Before Logan finished his lap, the whole arena was chanting. Then, Logan locked his eyes with mine and skated straight to me. “Bloody-Nine. I like that.” Logan said and smirked. At that moment, my shivering did not come from the cold. He turned away, and what he did next still makes me sick. He threw his severed finger into the fanatized crowd and left the ice.

 

The game did not continue. Both teams were awarded a point and an overtime loss. The finger was never recovered. That's quite a souvenir to bring home from a hockey game. I don't know for sure why Logan never got a prosthetic finger. When asked, he just shrugs and smiles. I think he sees it as a statement to the gritty nature of him both as a hockey player and as a person. After all, each legend needs their signature. For Logan, it's the missing middle finger on his left hand. 

 

This was supposed to be a com article, but ended up being a 1000+ words media spot, here comes 2×6 TPE.

Edited October 27 by VattghernCZ

[VattghernCZ 1,061]

Claim 2/2 for W.E. 11/3

[LucyXpher 1,593]

somebody's got that finger on a necklace like a rabbit's foot to wear as a good luck charm 

 

Edit: I may or may not know who that is...

Edited October 27 by LucyXpher

[Thunder 1,205]

How did you treat the disease Ferro gave Logan?

[VattghernCZ 1,061]

It's bad. You have to be realistic about these things.

 

But some Jolt Juice mixed with bourbon and a lot of garlic seems to manage the symptoms well.

[Scurvy 1,565]

Awesome article!!!!