Friday, May 21, 2021
“Distraught and Concerned”
Horror Injury Shocks NHL
The good news: According to initial investigations, John Tavares is not seriously injured. The bad: The NHL professional conceded a hit to the head at the start of the playoffs and apparently went unconscious to the ground. Not only his teammates at the Toronto Maple Leafs are shocked.
Anyone who plays ice hockey is used to tough checks. Especially in the NHL, the strongest league in the world. Especially in the playoffs, of course, when it comes to progressing, for the title, for the traditional and coveted Stanley Cup. The championship round has only just begun, but for John Tavares the first third of the first quarter-final game ended with a transport to the hospital after just such a check.
Tavares was challenged with his Toronto Maple Leafs against the Montreal Canadiens, but the Leafs’ 2-1 defeat was at times a minor matter. The 30-year-old was lying on the ice with his face smeared with blood and appeared to have passed out. A few minutes later, the Leafs captain gave the stretcher his thumbs up, but then had to stay in the clinic for further examinations. Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said afterwards, according to TV broadcaster ESPN, Tavares was “conscious” and able to communicate. The clash, however, “disturbed and worried” his team-mates, said Keefe.
It wasn’t an overly hard check that Tavares had received from his opponent Ben Chiarot. The captain of the Maple Leafs lost his balance. Canadiens attacker Corey Perry tried to evade, but caught Tavares with his knee in the head. “I tried to jump,” said Perry after the game on ESPN: “I just hope he’s okay.” Players from both teams immediately skated to Tavares, who tried unsuccessfully to get up after the head hit.
“I was pretty depressed,” said Canadiens goalie Carey Price, describing his impression of the situation: “It was a sobering reminder that ice hockey is just a game after all.” After all, Maple Leafs coach Keefe was able to give the first all-clear later. The first tests at Tavares were “inconclusive”. Whether and how long Toronto would have to do without its captain was still open shortly after the end of the game.
The continuation of the game after the injury made it clear that ice hockey professionals are tough. Toronto striker Nick Foligno had a brief brawl with Perry, as a kind of revenge for the fact that he had taken his teammate out of the game. “It wasn’t meant badly,” said Foligno, explaining the argument, which was more like a ritual than a serious fight. What Perry also saw: “He came to me and said that we would take care of it now. And then you just have to do what you have to do.”
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