Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck was stretchered off the ice during Monday’s game against the Senators in Ottawa.
Trocheck, 25, suffered the injury after taking an awkward and scary-looking fall into the endboards while battling for a puck with Ryan Dzingel late in the first period. The remainder of that period was delayed until after the first intermission, as there reportedly were no other paramedics in the building as a fan needed treatment earlier in the game.
Video of the injury is above the headline, but be warned; it’s pretty nasty. After Florida’s 7-5 win against Ottawa, Panthers head coach Bob Boughner provided a vague update.
“We don’t know the extent of the injury. We know it’s not going to be a short-term thing,” Boughner said. “He’s going to be reassessed, but he’s coming back with us to Tampa Bay and then home to South Florida.”
(It seems like Trocheck going back with the team is a fairly positive sign, though.)
Many compared Trocheck’s injury to the devastating one NFL QB Alex Smith suffered on Sunday.
Like Smith, Trocheck’s loss would hurt his team badly, although most are focused on the talented forward’s well-being considering how ghastly that looked.
Losing Trocheck for any length of time is very bad for the Panthers. pic.twitter.com/rxKDMPuMA0
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) November 20, 2018
Trocheck collected an assist in his abbreviated appearance on Monday, giving him 14 points in 18 games so far this season.
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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.