Although Garrett Klotz was involved in a scary on-ice incident that saw his body go into convulsions following a fight, the Philadelphia Phantoms' forward does not want to see fisticuffs taken out of the game.
"I know the risks that I'm taking when I go out there and I'm willing to take that risk," Klotz told reporters. "It's not too often that this happens."
Klotz spoke to the media for the first time Thursday after being released from hospital. Klotz's body went into a seizure after hitting the ice during a fight with Manchester's Kevin Westgarth this past week during an AHL game.
Video of the fight added plenty of fuel to the fire of those who would have fighting banned from hockey. Klotz does not want to be the reason why the rules are changed.
"It's part of the game and it always has been part of the game. It keeps things on an even basis out there from guys taking cheap shots and running around out there being stupid."
Doctors still do not know what triggered the seizures; however they have cleared Klotz to resume training with the team.
"I had CT scans and MRI's done and everything came back normal. It's looking clear and hopefully it never happens again."
The 20-year old Philadelphia Flyers' prospect hopes to resume skating Saturday and help the Phantoms push towards the playoffs.
"I'm just going to take it slowly and see how I feel until I'm fully prepared to get back on the ice and do what I do."
Although he admits he was frightened he also realizes that he can't allow it to affect the way that he plays.
"I'm not going to dwell on it too much, I'm just going to recover from it, I'm going to take the doctor's advice and take it from there. It's scary but stuff like that happens. I'm going to try and put it in the past and move on."
