NHL veteran opens up about horrifying health scare: "I thought I was dying."

A National Hockey League veteran has just come clean about a horrifying episode he went through in the early stages of the 2025-26 NHL regular season.

Recently, New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck spoke to the media following the conclusion of the Rangers season and it was during that time that Trocheck revealed what was really behind his absence earlier in the season. Although the Rangers themselves had ruled out Trocheck due to an upper body injury, Trocheck revealed that the reality of the situation was much more serious.

"It was crazy," said Trocheck while looking around the Rangers locker room to see if anyone was listening. "So I had like some viral bacteria get into my lung and wasn't sure what it was... I thought I was just having back spasms."

What Trocheck initially believed to be back spasms would actually turn out to be a build up of fluid in his body.

"I played the first game and got a little bit worse... then I got a cross-check right in that area and whatever fluid was in there it was like bubbles, and the bubbles burst and it spread," revealed Trocheck. "So then it just got a lot worse, I had a lot of fluid around my lung."

The most horrifying details would come next however, with Trocheck revealing the ordeal he went through once the problem was uncovered.

"So I had to have surgery to get the fluid removed," revealed Trocheck. "Chest tubes... I was in the hospital for like a week."

That would certainly justify an absence from the team, and if it sounds like it may have been a life threatening situation you aren't the only one who thinks so.

"It was very scary," admitted Trocheck. "I thought I was dying."

Thankfully we know that he was able to make an incredible recovery, appearing in 67 games for the Rangers and putting up 16 goals and 37 assists for 53 points. All things considered that is a pretty incredible bounce back from such a terrible ordeal.