Canadiens’ Danault stretchered off ice after taking Chara shot to head
Canadian Press
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Published:
January 13, 2018
Updated:
January 13, 2018 10:42 PM EST
Montreal Canadiens' Phillip Danault lies injured on the ice after he was hit in the head by a puck on a shot by Boston Bruins' Zdeno Chara during second period NHL hockey action in Montreal, Saturday, January 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
By Stu Cowan, Montreal Gazette
There was a scary scene at the Bell Centre Saturday night as the Canadiens’ Phillip Danault was taken off the ice on a stretcher after taking a slapshot from the Boston Bruins’ Zdeno Chara in the head.
With 1:37 remaining in the second period, the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Chara wound up a blasted a shot from the blue line. Danault, who was standing at the top of the faceoff circle, turned his head slightly and took a direct hit on the right side of his head off his helmet. Danault fell to the ice and appeared to be unconscious as Graham Rynbend, the Canadiens’ head athletic therapist, rushed onto the ice to tend to him.
Hockey Night in Canada on CBC and Sportsnet reported Chara’s shot was clocked at 123 km/h. Chara holds the record for hardest shot ever at the NHL All-Star Skills competition with a 108.8-mph blast (175 km/h) in 2012.
After spending several minutes down on the ice, Danault tried to get up to his knees but couldn’t. A stretcher was called for and a full medical team was quickly on the ice. Danault was put on a backboard and then a stretcher and taken off the ice as fans at the Bell Centre chanted “Da-nault! Da-nault!”
Players from the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins look on as Canadiens’ Phillip Danault tended to by paramedics after he was hit in the head by a puck on a shot by Bruins’ Zdeno Chara (33) during second period NHL hockey action in Montreal, Saturday, January 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
The Canadiens announced at 9:21 p.m. that Danault had indeed suffered a head injury and was taken to a hospital for further exams. He was awake and moving.
The game was halted after Danault was injured and the teams went to their locker rooms with the remaining 1:37 of the second period added to the start of the third period.
Montreal Canadiens’ Phillip Danault is stretchered off the ice after he was hit in the head by a puck on a shot by Boston Bruins’ Zdeno Chara during second period NHL hockey action in Montreal, Saturday, January 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
The score was tied 3-3 at the time of Drouin’s injury and the Bruins went on to win 4-3 in a shootout. Max Pacioretty, Nicolas Deslauriers and Alex Galchenyuk scored for the Canadiens, while the Bruins got goals from Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci.
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