Morning Skate: Good vibes

Happy Wednesday, folks. Let’s have a good one today.

It’s a situation that’s unfortunately become all too familiar in New England hockey circles: a young player suffers a devastating spinal injury while playing the game he loves.

18-year-old Jake Thibeault was injured during a tournament game over the weekend, and it appears unlikely that he’ll ever walk again.

The Milton Academy kid suffered a fractured spine and a brain bleed, and is currently paralyzed from the waist down.

Like Matt Brown and AJ Quetta, Thibeault has already shown incredible toughness in the face of adversity, saying he’s ready to face the challenges ahead.

As was the case with Brown and Quetta, the hockey world has rallied around Thibeault, with messages of support pouring in, including one from the Bruins.

Here’s to hoping that Thibeault can get the best of care and get back to living life as an 18-year-old kid should — modern medicine can do great things, so let’s hope it does great things for Thibeault.

If you can support the family, there’s a GoFundMe set up that has already (as of Tuesday night) raised more than $250,000.

Stay strong, Jake.

Today’s discussion topic

The Bruins posted some pictures of Nick Foligno skating at Warrior today — which of the off-season acquisitions are you most looking forward to watching this season?