Chris Lowrey
BUFFALO Jan. 24, 2017
A Shawville-born hockey player who is having the season of his life in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division 1 hockey is up for the most prestigious award in college hockey.
Derian Plouffe, who plays for the Niagara University Purple Eagles has been named as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
The Hobey Baker award is given to the top player in Division 1 NCAA hockey. Past winners include Paul Kariya, Chris Drury and Ryan Miller.
Plouffe has had to earn everything that has come his way this season – both on and off the ice.
In November of 2016, during a practice drill with his team, Plouffe took a puck to the head after a shot from teammate Tanner Lomsnes deflected off a stick.
The puck struck Plouffe in the side of his head and knocked him unconscious.
Although he was able to make it off the ice under his own power, the blood coming out of his ear forced the team’s trainer to send him to the hospital.
A CT scan revealed Plouffe had a fractured skull and was bleeding from the brain. He was immediately sent to the ICU at the Buffalo Hospital.
For the next month, Plouffe returned home where his family took care of him. His mother, Adele, had to push him in a wheelchair to his appointments.
In fact, the original diagnosis was so severe that the neurosurgeon in Buffalo recommended Plouffe reevaluate his career choice as a hockey player.
Back in Ottawa, Plouffe met with Ottawa Senators team doctor Don Chow, who told him the recovery process was more of a waiting game than anything.
“Once I saw him, he really reassured me it was more of a time thing, so I’d just have to wait it out,” Plouffe told The Equity in December.
As his recovery progressed, Plouffe was cleared to skate by February of 2017. By mid May, Plouffe was fully cleared to return.
However, even though he was cleared to play, Plouffe still hadn’t taken a hit and was wondering how his head would respond in a full contact game.
“It was obviously a little nerve wracking,” Plouffe said. “You just have to trust that you’ve done everything right and took the right amount of time off.”
It seems Plouffe was bang on when it came to taking the right amount of time off.
Since his return, Plouffe has led the Purple Eagles to a record of 11-13-2, but most impressively has led the team in scoring with 14 goals, and 14 assists for 28 points.
Plouffe is one of more than 70 players up for the award. The field of 74 is reduced to the top 10 in voting. From there, a selection committee chooses the eventual winner.
Fans can vote for each nominee once per day until the Mar. 8 deadline.
The Hobey Baker is given to the player who excels both on and off the ice. The winner must exhibit qualities of strength and character, contribute to the integrity of the team, display outstanding skill in all facets of the game and also show scholastic achievements and sportsmanship.
Voting can be done on Facebook at https://apps.facebook.com/hobeybaker/vfh2018 or at www.hobeybaker.com. Just click on Plouffe’s picture and cast your vote.
