Player collapses, vomits on ice after sustaining facial injury from puck, then gets carried off on a stretcher in troubling on-field incident at NHL game
Game One of Toronto's second-round tussle with Florida's Panthers witnesses a tough night for goaltender Anthony Stolarz. A double dose of head trauma, courtesy of an elbow from Sam Bennett and a nasty puck to the kisser, left him woozy on the ice.
First, a back-of-the-head elbow from Bennett flattened Stolarz, with Craig Berube, the Leafs' head coach, labeling it as "clear as day". Despite the visual indicator, the refs refrained from calling a penalty.
Later, a puck smacked into Stolarz's mug with enough force to dislodge his mask, about five minutes into the game. How's that for a rough start? This unsolicited hit, if you will, sparked a spontaneous headshake from Stolarz – a telltale sign of a concussion.
As if the puck to the face wasn't enough, Stolarz continued to play till he felt compelled to puke on the Leafs' bench. Finally, he was ushered off the ice on a stretcher and taken to the hospital for a thorough examination.
A neuroscientist and concussion expert, Chris Nowinski, chimed in on Twitter, hinting at Stolarz already having suffered a concussion, even before the elbow incident.
This hair-raising incident highlights the tough reality of solving for the unforeseen in the NHL. We'll have to wait and watch to see how Stolarz bounces back from this gruelling encounter.
Sources:
- TSN
- ESPN
- The neuroscientist and concussion expert, Chris Nowinski, suggested on Twitter that goaltender Anthony Stolarz might have already had a concussion before the elbow incident caused by Sam Bennett.
- In Game One of Toronto's second-round match against Florida's Panthers, Stolarz endured a rough start with consecutive head traumas – an elbow to the back of the head and a puck to the face.
- Anthony Stolarz displayed a telltale sign of a concussion after a puck hit his mug during the game, continued playing till he felt nauseous, and was then taken off the ice on a stretcher to the hospital.
- Despite Craig Berube, the Leafs' head coach, stating that Bennett's elbow was "clear as day," the referees did not call a penalty for the hit on Stolarz.
