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Parents: Denna Laing Sustained Severe Spinal Cord Injury

BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Denna Laing's parents say the professional women's hockey player sustained a severe spinal cord injury when she struck the boards at Gillette Stadium last week in a game before the NHL's Winter Classic.

Jerilyn and Dennis Laing released a statement Friday saying: "As of today, Denna has limited movement of her arms and no feeling in her legs. Our prayer going forward is that Denna can be moved from the Intensive Care Unit to a Rehabilitation Center and continue to fight everyday with her trademark grit and resolve. With respect to her long term prognosis, right now there are more questions than answers."

Denna Laing
Denna Laing is taken off the ice following an injury during the Outdoor Womens Classic at Gillette Stadium, Dec. 31, 2015. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Laing is being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital.

She was injured Dec. 31 playing for the Boston Pride in the outdoor game Dec. 31 against the Montreal Canadiennes.

The 24-year-old Laing, from Marblehead, played at Princeton and works as a witness victim advocate at the Essex district attorney's office.

NWHL Commissioner Dani Rylan has directed teams to wear a helmet stick bearing her uniform number 24.

On behalf of the Boston Bruins, President Cam Neely offered the Laing family their full support. "The New England hockey community is an incredibly strong group, and we know the assistance that will be provided to Denna and her family will be unwavering both in the immediate future and throughout the various stages of treatment," Neely said.

To follow Denna's progress or to lend support visit: http://www.dennalaing.org/

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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