ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway left Tuesday night's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and left the rink on a stretcher after being hit by a puck late in the first period.
Holloway was struck near the neck by the puck with 2:37 remaining, but he continued to participate in the play through the end of his shift and then went to the bench on his own.
With 1 minute and 11 seconds remaining, teammates began calling out and gesturing for help as the game was stopped due to a costly penalty, which was later canceled.
Blues trainer Ray Burrill and medical staff from both teams tended to Holloway for several minutes until emergency medical technicians carried him off the bench on a stretcher.
“I was just sitting next to him and watching something happen,” Blues forward Alexei Trobchenko said. “I told Ray, he knows what he's doing. I was kind of curious about what was going on. The doctor came and I think everything is fine now. But… Everyone was worried.”
Mr Holloway was seen raising his arms as he was being removed by a cart.
The Blues later announced that Holloway was conscious and stable and was transported to a St. Louis-area hospital for further observation.
“I think the only way I can tell is you're at work and you get a call and someone in your family gets sick and they rush to the hospital,” Blues coach Drew Bannister said. “Holly is part of the family. It was tough. I thought we showed great fortitude as a group and showed how we can get through it mentally. The easiest thing to do is to head But now that I have the latest information on Holly, I feel a little better and I can refocus.”
Referees Wes McCauley and Cody Veach sent the team to the locker room to begin the first break after Holloway was transferred off the bench due to the nature of his injury.
“It's tough,” Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. “That's your teammate. Then we got word that he's okay. And then we have to pull ourselves together a little bit and go play another hockey game, right? Unfortunately, that's what this The reality of the sport is that it took us a while to get going.”
After falling behind 1-0 early in the second period, St. Louis rallied to score three points and beat Tampa Bay 3-2.
