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"Lucky to be alive, let alone play pro": When Justin Kirkland's accident forced him to reflect on life & mount an NHL comeback
Last January, Calgary Flames forward Justin Kirkland faced a life-changing moment that shook him to his core. On his way to the Ducks' against the Boston Bruins, he was involved in a serious car accident.
The details of that day are mostly blurred for him. During an interview with Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports, Kirkland remembers making an unexpected stop while driving before everything went dark.
His truck sideswiped an SUV and spun across multiple lanes of the northbound 5 Freeway before crashing into the center median. When he regained consciousness, Justin Kirkland found himself in a hospital bed at UCI Health, surrounded by his wife, Madison, and coach Dallas Eakins.
"It has been the darkest, most awful year, and he’s really hoping to see the light from it all now,” Madison said.
Kirkland was left with the haunting thought of whether he would ever play hockey again or even survive the accident. Now, as he looks back on that terrifying experience, the 28-year-old feels a deep sense of gratitude for being alive. He said in January 2023 (as per gophnx website):
"I’ve had a lot of time to reflect over the last year on what’s really important in life. Obviously, growing up in Canada, it’s been hockey, hockey, hockey. I want to be a hockey player. I want to be an NHL player.
"You grind, and you grind, and you grind. Then something like that happens, and you sit back, and you go, ‘I’m lucky to be alive, let alone to still be able to play pro and work my way back here," Justin Kirkland added.
After his recovery, Justin Kirkland was placed on waivers but went unclaimed, leading to his return to the Gulls in the AHL, where he played 32 games in the 2022–23 season.
In July, Kirkland signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Arizona Coyotes. However, he was placed on waivers again three months later and was assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners, the Coyotes' AHL affiliate for the 2023-24 season.
Throughout December, Kirkland experienced a series of ups and downs, being recalled and then sent back to Tucson. Finally, a month later, he was recalled once more and made his NHL debut for the Coyotes the next day against the Winnipeg Jets.
After a brief period where his rights were transferred to the Utah Hockey Club, Justin Kirkland decided to return to the Calgary Flames, signing a one-year, two-way contract earlier in July.
Justin Kirkland makes a memorable return
It was a night to remember for Kirkland, as he scored his first goal in over a decade of professional hockey.
He netted a goal for the Flames in a dominating 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers during the first "Battle of Alberta" matchup on Sunday.
Justin Kirkland was drafted No. 62 overall by the Nashville Predators and went on to spend eight seasons bouncing between the AHL and ECHL. He has accumulated one goal in his 11-game NHL career.
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