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Vokoun says he nearly died because of blood clot issue

Tomas Vokoun

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tomas Vokoun, of the Czech Republic, makes a stop on a shot during NHL hockey training camp on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013 in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

AP

Tomas Vokoun’s absence in Pittsburgh due to a blood clot issue almost became headline news for the worst reasons.

The Penguins goaltender tells Karel Knap of iDNES.cz (via Roman Jedlicka) his life was in serious danger thanks to his blood clot ailment. Translated quotes courtesy of Jedlicka.

“I was lucky I was sent to hospital so quickly. I nearly died during weekend,” Vokoun said. “My foot was swollen, I had blood clots from mid-thigh almost to the heart. I was thinking about the end of my career. It would not be so difficult decision. Now I will do what doctors say. Health is clearly the main thing. I hope I have more than half of life ahead of me.“

It’s not the first time Vokoun has had blood clot problems in his career as he also had an instance come up while with the Nashville Predators in 2006. This time around, however, it sounds like things were a bit more daunting.

The Penguins have no timetable for when Vokoun might return. AHL veteran Jeff Zatkoff is taking his place as Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup for the time being.

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