A New York Rangers player was ruled out for a month early in the 2025-26 campaign with what the franchise called an upper-body injury, yet it turns out it was much more serious than that
Tom Malley U.S. Sports Reporter
12:19 ET, 19 Apr 2026
New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck has opened up on the near-death experience he endured earlier this season
NHL star Vincent Trocheck has opened up on the terrifying ordeal he went through at the start of the season after suffering a bacterial lung infection, claiming it left him feeling like he “was dying”.
The New York Rangers center was ruled out for a month early in the 2025-26 campaign with what the franchise called an upper-body injury, yet Trocheck, 32, recently revealed that it was much more serious than that.
It comes shortly after NHL reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children tragically died in a house fire, while NHL coach Brad Larsen has been grieving the heartbreaking death of his wife, Hannah, following her battle with cancer.
READ MORE: Angel Reese can’t resist final swipe at Chicago Sky after shock WNBA tradeREAD MORE: Joe Rogan changes mind again on Donald Trump and appears at White House with him
On Friday, Trocheck said he had an infection in one of his lungs that initially felt like back spasms, and that the issue spread when he took a cross-check to the area during a game in Buffalo in October.
The former Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers star was soon hospitalized for roughly a week with the issue, which he admitted left him fearing for his life.
“Whatever fluid was in there, it’s like bubbles, and I guess the bubble burst and it spread, so then it just got a lot worse,” Trocheck explained.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
“I had a lot of fluid around my lung, so I had to have surgery to get the fluid removed – chest tubes, whatever. No one really knows how it came about. It was very scary. I thought I was dying.”
Thankfully, Trocheck eventually made a full recovery and returned to action on November 10, playing 65 of the remaining 66 games for New York, while also notably helping the U.S. win gold at the Olympics earlier this year.
His extended absence from the Rangers’ side, however, was a big reason the team’s season went off the rails early, and eventually ended with them missing the playoffs after finishing at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, winning just 34 of their 82 games.
“It didn’t help,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “Every team has to endure injuries. We’re no different in that regard.
Trocheck (second left) managed to make a full recovery and formed part of the Team USA side that secured gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics
“What I’ll tell you is that some injuries are easier to endure than others, and we had some key ones at certain times in the season that made it tough. Troch is obviously a really good player, an important element of this team.”
Troch, who has just wrapped up his 14th season in the NHL, has spent the last four years in New York, but admits that he is prepared to move on if something materializes.
“Now if something does happen this summer, at least we have time to figure some stuff out,” Trocheck said. “I’ve played in the NHL for 13 years. I know what this is like. I know the feeling. It doesn’t bother me.”