Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper called it one of the scariest moments he’s witnessed at any level of hockey. Detroit Red Wings forward Martin Frk sent a hard shot that caught Dan Girardi up high - maybe somewhere in the face, or the shoulder, or a little of both - causing Girardi to collapse to the ice.
It was difficult not to fear the worst, but he was able to leave the rink with some help, already a positive sign considering how scary that moment was (you can watch it in the video above).
Monday brought great news, then: the Lightning announced that Girardi is merely considered day-to-day and that all tests came back negative. Phew.
With the fear of the worst behind us, it’s interesting to take a look at some of the reactions to Frk’s shot.
Brad Richards told The Athletic’s Craig Custance (sub required) that Frk might hesitate when unleashing the puck in the future.
“I think it’s definitely going to weigh in his mind,” Richards said. “I can’t speak for him but it’s got to be a little — you have to be shaken a little bit when you take a shot and someone is laying on the ice.”
While Richards was supportive of both Frk and Girardi following that scary moment, fellow former NHLer Patrick O’Sullivan was more critical of Frk.
Ultimately, the most important thing right now is that Girardi is OK. It seems that way today.
On Girardi: "Typical Dan, he still takes it in stride and has light-hearted comments about it. I just can’t say enough about that kid. That kid’s got guts, man."#TBLvsDET | Jon Cooper: pic.twitter.com/sa5lnKj9KS
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 8, 2018
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.