Already on the sidelines with a back injury, 39-year-old Joe Sakic's unfortunate season has become a lost one after a run-in with a snowblower.

Here's the Denver Post's Adrian Dater on the mishap:

Avalanche captain Joe Sakic will be sidelined at least three months, the team said this morning, after he suffered three broken fingers and tendon damage following an accident at his home involving a snow blower.

Avalanche vice president Jean Martineau said the accident happened to Sakic’s left hand, and that severe tendon damage occurred to one finger. That same finger and two others were broken.

“Basically, it’s a mistake. He’s a 39-year-old adult who made a mistake,” Martineau said. “He put his hand where he should not have put it. He’s, in a way, lucky. He’ll have a full recovery.”

Sakic turns 40 in July and had been struggling a bit so far this year, so this obviously makes you wonder if we may have seen the last of him in the NHL. My guess is he gives next season a go.

Dater provides some statistics on snowblower mishaps: "According to a 2005 Consumer Products Safety Commission study, snowblowers were the 'fourth leading cause of finger amputations' at more than 1,000 per year and more than 5,000 emergency room visits. And, that from 1992-2005 there were a reported nine deaths from snowblower accidents."

So it could have been worse.