Teen suffers horrific hockey injury after being drilled head first into boards!

This is every parent's worst nightmare. 

On Monday, 15-year-old hockey player Locklin Barkely of the Georgina Blaze was on the ice for one of the last shifts of a Midget house league non contact game in Keswick. He was brutally hit from behind by another player as he was drilled head first into the boards. He was rushed to the SickKids Hospital with a horrific injury after his broken body was loaded on a stretcher. 

His parents have revealed to CityNews' Adrian Ghobrial that Locklin suffered various fractures to five of his vertebrae. When the doctors examined him, they thought he had suffered the horrible injury in a car accident, and couldn't believe it took place during a hockey game. 

On Friday night, he underwent major back surgery. 

"When they flipped him over, his face was grey and he was making noises like he couldn't breathe, and that went on for...," Locklin's father Jeff Barkley couldn't finish his sentence and broke into tears. 

The parents are now calling for stricter rules and suspensions for minor hockey in Ontario.

"There has to be some stronger education to the referees and to the players, and to the coaches about hitting from behind," he added. 

In the Midget house league, a three-year age gap is allowed between players, but normally in other leagues, it is just two years. Locklin's mother believes the player who hit her son was three years older than him. His parents refused to believe Locklin could have said something to anger the player in the last minute of the game: "he wouldn't hurt a fly."

The players' sanctions state that a player can be suspended four games for a second offence, and could be banned indefinitely after his fourth offence. However, it seems too many chances for a dangerous player: a player shouldn't be given a fourth opportunity to hurt someone. 

The Ontario Minor Hockey Associate executive director Ian Taylor made a statement about Locklin's injury and revealed that the player had been penalized on the play and has been suspended indefinitely pending a hearing. 

While the parents considered looking into a criminal charge, Locklim told his parents he was more worried about his attacker as he knows it was just the game and that he does not want anything bad to happen to him. 

Locklin underwent successful surgery tonight and is expected to make a full recovery. If ever you would like to help Locklin and his parents in his recovery, the Georgina hockey community has created a GoFund me page for the Barkley family.

See the full report by CityNews' Adrian Ghobrial here: