By Associated Press

TORONTO -- Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mikael Renberg's left hand
became so infected this week that doctors considered amputating it to save
his life.

"It could have been a lot worse, amputation to save my life, I guess,"
Renberg told the Toronto Star on Thursday.

Renberg aggravated a blister on his hand while trying to tie his skates
in Edmonton on Saturday. The hand became infected and landed him in a
Vancouver hospital with a 104-degree fever.

He remained in Vancouver with trainer Brent Smith after the Maple
Leafs' game Tuesday night against the Canucks.

"I'm lucky I was with Brent and he was smart enough to take me to the
hospital right away," Renberg said.

Smith stayed with Renberg in Vancouver while the team traveled to New
Jersey, and returned to Toronto with the player Thursday.

"It was a little dog that bit big," Smith said. "We're lucky we got it
under control as quickly as we did.

"The doctor said that a lot of people who come in with that condition
are faced with an amputation. Both of those words -- amputation and
death -- came up in the conversation."

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press