MLive’s Ansar Khan spoke with forward Dominic Turgeon regarding his recovery from a “thoracic outlet syndrome” blood clot that required the removal of a rib, as well as Turgeon’s goals for an upcoming (and hopefully healthy) season:
“My mindset is to come into camp and be strong in what I can bring to hockey,” Turgeon said. “Being a strong two-way player, being good on face-offs, being good on the penalty kill, and also provide some offense.”
Turgeon’s season ended abruptly on April 11, when he underwent surgery in Round Rock, Texas. The Griffins were on a road trip when Turgeon was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. After the clot was removed, he flew to Tampa, where a rib was removed from his right side.
“It definitely was scary,” Turgeon, Detroit’s second pick (63rd overall) in 2014, said. “I didn’t know much of it at the time, but stuff happens in life. Thankfully, the recovery went well.”
How he developed the condition remains a mystery.
“One day my arm just kind of got swollen, kind of got big,” Turgeon said. “I thought it was from an elbow problem at first. It never really went away. Eventually I got it checked out and I needed surgery right away. They said a lot of pitchers or even tennis players get it, but it’s very rare for hockey players.”
