Former Rider Axtell seriously injured in truck crash

Phil Axtell faces another comeback, and this one's gargantuan.

The Quad City Mallards forward and former Cedar Rapids RoughRiders hockey player was seriously injured early Monday morning when he lost control of his truck on a steep alley in Davenport and hit the rear of a house.

According to the Quad City Times, Axtell, 24, was found two hours after the 4 a.m. crash lying on the ground next to the truck. He had eight hours of surgery Tuesday to repair a severely damaged and broken arm and surgery Wednesday on a face that suffered multiple fractures.

"Right now, he's battling," said RoughRiders Coach/General Manager Mark Carlson, who visited Axtell at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics on Tuesday night. "He's got some broken bones and significant, serious damage to his face. I'm just happy he's alive, and as of now, it looks like he's going to be OK."

The Times said Axtell was issued traffic citations for failure to control his vehicle and for not having insurance, and could face additional charges for drunken driving. A popular player in his two seasons (2004-06) with the RoughRiders because of his size (6-foot-6) and affable nature, Axtell returned to hockey this year after washing out of two colleges.

He told Source Media Group in September it was a bad lifestyle that led to his failures, which included an arrest in his hometown in Maryland. He returned to Cedar Rapids over the summer, quit drinking and lost 30 pounds to prepare for a tryout with the Central Hockey League's Mallards that Carlson helped line up.

An enforcer-type player, Axtell had three goals and 30 penalty minutes in 10 games with Quad City and was making an impression with the team.

“It's great that Coach has let me back on the ice. You can't go anywhere else and get that treatment,” Axtell said in September. “Him and I had a long talk. I'm not drinking any more, not living the life I was, and it's paying off. I'll still go out to the bars with friends, but I'm the one driving. I don't mind that.”

Carlson said this was not the time to judge Axtell for what appears to be an alcohol-related incident.

"Despite what has happened, I will never give up on Phil," Carlson said. "I am very, very proud of what he accomplished. Now hockey is secondary. He's a guy I love ... I believe he is a very good human being. People go through tough times, but I will never give up on him.

"He's very fortunate to be alive, and I think there's a reason he is. I really do."

Here are links to the Quad City Times story on the accident and the Source Media Group story on Axtell's comeback:

http://qctimes.com/sports/hockey/professional/minor/article_662a46da-0260-11e0-87ff-001cc4c03286.html

http://www.easterniowasportsandrec.com/2010/09/16/big-phil-ready-to-give-hockey-another-try/