A crash into the boards can be one of the most dangerous falls in hockey, especially when you can’t brace yourself for the impact.
That happened in one of the worst ways possible for New Jersey Devils forward Travis Zajac on Tuesday, as he went face-first into the boards during a game against the Vancouver Canucks.
It’s too early to tell for sure what kind of condition Zajac is in, but it was easy - and unsettling - to see how much he was bleeding from the fall.
The Devils aren’t too happy that the Canucks ended up with a 5-on-3 power play after the hit and subsequent reactions, yet most of all, they must be worried about the veteran forward.
It’s quietly been a great season for Zajac, too, who had 20 points in 24 games coming into Tuesday, including five points (hat trick one night, two assists the next) in his previous two games. NHL.com’s Mike Morreale shared a scary screen grab of the moment of impact:
Not good here for Zajac. Went to locker room w/ :31 left in first. pic.twitter.com/bwbA8WcyFu
— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) December 7, 2016
Yikes. Here’s hoping it all looked worse than it actually ended up being.
Update: Not only did Zajac return to the game, he picked up an assist. Hockey players, everyone.