I don’t know exactly how Tkachuk got hurt, but according to Maurice, there’s a long list of serious injuries. This is pretty standard for teams that make deep playoff runs. I personally wish that the playoffs were called more in line with the rulebook for a bunch of reasons, but minimizing injury is one of those reasons. I don’t see the upside of having a bunch of the best players play hurt through the finals, not being able to play at their potential, and not being able to start next season or shortening their careers. I don’t see how it improves the game to not call slashing and crosschecking penalties. I’m also skeptical on how many players hit their head and can’t stand up after, but are able to pass concussion protocol and return to the game. This shit will come back to haunt the NHL in the future.
Damn, that’s brutal. Can’t even imagine trying to play a game like that.
Jayzuz. No wonder he didn’t even dress to sit on the bench tonight.
I can’t imagine playing that hurt.