TORONTO -- Detroit Red Wings center Darryl Sittler was in good condition Thursday after surgery to repair a broken right cheekbone suffered the previous night in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Sittler's doctor had not decided how long the veteran player will be off the ice.
He underwent surgery Thursday morning.
Sittler, in his first appearance at Maple Leaf Gardens with the Red Wings, was checked hard in the second period by Toronto's Jim Korn. Sittler fell to the ice, got up and took a swing at Korn before leaving the ice.
'It was a clean hit,' said Korn.
Detroit Red Wings coach Nick Polano called it 'a vicious attack.'
Sittler was given two minutes in the penalty box for roughing. Korn did not receive a penalty.
Sittler, 34, was traded earlier this month to Detroit from Philadelphia, where he played for two years. The Kitchener, Ontario, native spent 12 years with the Maple Leafs.
His father, Ken, was also taken to Wellesley Hospital in Toronto Wednesday night from the Red Wings-Maple Leafs game. A hospital spokeswoman said Thursday the elder Sittler was in fair condition in the intensive care unit after suffering a heart attack.
