There were distressing scenes in the NHL this week as St Louis Blues star Dylan Holloway had to be taken to hospital after being struck in the neck by a flying puck.
The Blues would go on to beat Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in a hard-fought contest but the action was overshadowed by the scary incident in the dying moments of the first period at Missouri’s Enterprise Center.
With the Lightning on the offensive, Nicholas Paul attempted to fire the puck through to a team-mate but inadvertently hit Holloway, who continued playing for the next 30 seconds, even launching a counter-attack.
But a visibly groggy Holloway soon took his place up on the bench and the 23-year-old’s condition rapidly worsened as pictures showed him getting helped onto a stretcher.
The match was temporarily suspended while medical staff tended to Holloway, with concern growing inside the arena as both sets of players took a knee on the ice in front of an eerily quiet crowd.
Play eventually got underway again as Holloway was taken to hospital and, remarkably, the young centre is hopeful of being involved in the Blues’ clash with Utah Hockey Club this weekend.
‘I feel good today, I feel way better. Obviously, it was a scary situation,’ Holloway told the media the morning after his frightening ordeal.
‘From what I’ve been told, the puck hit the vagus nerve in my neck and as soon as I got hit I knew something was a little off, but then I saw we got a two-on-one so I couldn’t pass up that opportunity.
‘As soon as I got to the bench I was feeling a little woozy.
‘I don’t really remember much from there until I was on the stretcher close to the ambulance.’
Holloway says he immediately knew something wasn’t quite right but initially only felt ‘lightheaded’ before blacking out.
‘As soon as the puck hit my neck I knew something was a little off. As soon as I started skating I felt a little lightheaded,’ he added.
‘When I was going to the bench it kind of felt like when you stand up too fast, it felt like that head rush but it just kept coming on and then I was out.’
Asked whether he was aware of what was happening, Holloway replied: ‘No, I don’t know what I thought was going on but I didn’t even know that they stopped the game.
‘I got told by our head trainer that I just felt weird on the bench and then the next thing I knew I was awake on the stretcher close to the ambulance.
‘I didn’t realise that they stopped the game, I didn’t realise it was actually that big of a deal but I’m just thankful that everybody and all the medical staff were so hands-on and were able to get me to hospital safely.
‘I left the hospital last night at about 11pm. They had to run some tests and stuff because I guess when you get hit in the neck it’s obviously a scary area and it could have been a lot worse.’
In the immediate aftermath of the Blues’ victory, Oskar Sundqvist was relieved to hear that his team-mate was in a stable condition.
‘Scary, scary moment but we heard he was okay so I’m happy to hear that,’Sundqvist told reporters.
‘You get very emotional as it happens. It’s a scary, scary situation but he was stable when he left and he’s doing okay.
‘You think about the guy’s health when that happens and we’re happy that he’s okay.’
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