Stanely Cup Champion's career could be over due to spinal injury.

You can't help but feel sorry for the guy. It was bad news earlier this week when it was reported forward Erik Cole would be out for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs, but the news has been ever worse for Erik Cole. According to a report from Helen St. James of the Detroit Free Press there is far more on the line for Cole than just the remainder of his season. Cole spoke to St. James and according to her he "sounded resigned to being done with hockey" as a result of the injury.

"When you have a contusion like that," he said, "it will affect your nerves and it can affect your motor function, you can be a bit clumsy even just sending a text message or something like that. Right now, it's just about being a healthy individual and worrying about my future and being able to play with my kids," said Cole.

According to Cole the injury stems from an incident that dates back to 2006, and the injury is so serious he's more concerned about whether or not he will be able to play with his kids.

"It stems back from my neck injury in 2006," Cole said. "When I ran into the player in the Arizona game, I bruised my spinal cord. A spinal contusion is something that you have to let heal and obviously, it's a pretty serious occurrence. Doctors feel I need to look out for my well-being as a person, not just as a hockey player."

We likely won't know definitively until the we near the start of next season, but things are not looking good for Cole's future as an NHL player.