Joni Pitkanen sustained a broken heel bone on an icing play gone very wrong way back in early April of 2013. The Finnish defender was stretchered off of the ice and hasn't played since.

Tragically, the talented blue-liner isn't even close to returning from the broken heel bone injury he sustained 14 months ago:

Francis said he recently spoke with Joni Pitkanen's agent. Was told Joni still could not put foot in skate. — Chip Alexander (@ice_chip) June 30, 2014

The potentially career ending injury to the 6-foot-3, 220 pound defender (in addition to a broken femur injury sustained by Edmonton Oilers farmhand Taylor Fedun in preseason action) was a major reason the league adopted the 'hybrid icing' rule for the 2012-13 season.

In March, Pitkanen told NHL.com that he'd "been making progress with my rehab and it remains my goal to resume my professional hockey career." Hopefully he can accomplish that. The NHL is poorer for his absence.