Oct 26, 2004
www.tappara.fi

Ville Nieminen's wrist is badly injured. He got pushed from behind to the backboards in Sunday's game against HPK, and he took the blow somehow wrong with his hand to prevent from falling head first on the board. Right after the contact, he was seen on national tv skating to his bench mouthing the words "Broken! It's broken!" and immediately walking to the locker room.

His hand was operated in the hospital in the night between Sunday and Monday. Broken radius bone was the least of the injuries in his hand; the vagina tendinis in his hand was also broken, some ligaments were detached and some articular capsules were teared.

Nieminen will miss at least three months, making a return possible earliest at late January - early February, depending on how the hand heals. Nieminen was the most important player of Tappara during the early season scoring 8 goals and 7 assists in 14 games.