Washington Capitals forward Brooks Laich came out from the lockerroom and addressed with the media why he left the ice only after ten minutes this morning. “It was a left hip flexor,” Laich said to 106.7 The Fan’s Sky Kerstein. “It is completely non-related to what happened to me last year.”

“We’ll monitor it day-by-day and it should come back very very quickly,” Laich added according to Monumental Network.

Laich also suggested that the ice at Kettler may have contributed to his injury. “The ice back home [in Saskatchewan] is very hard, and I came here and this ice is very soft.”

Laich says he tweaked his hip and first started feeling pain last Thursday.

LiveStrong describes hip flexors:

The hip flexor is the group of muscles located in the front portion of your hip that allows for forward motion when your run or walk. When kicking or sprinting, large amounts of stress are applied to the hip flexor. This stress can result in a hip flexor strain. A hip flexor strain is the tearing or stretching of a muscle or a tendon, according to Kapi’Olani Orthopaedic Associates. The hip flexor may become inflamed and painful. A hip flexor strain requires treatment.

Hip flexors injuries in hockey generally range from day-to-day or week-to-week statuses, though they can end careers in rare cases.

The best way to treat the injury is icing down the affected area (volunteers?), rest, and lots and lots of stretches like this one, via WebMD:

While speaking with reporters, Laich also revealed more about the groin injury that limited him to nine games last season. He said that he felt intense pain rolling over in bed and getting out of chairs. Getting in and out of his car was also a nightmare. Poor guy.

Let’s hope some more “aggressive acupuncture sessions” clear this thing right up.