Blocking shots is part of hockey, and often that means that players staying down for a few seconds is part of hockey, or that a player gimping his way to the bench is part of hockey. Sometimes hockey players have to be pushed off the ice by a teammate, because they’ve lost feeling in a foot or leg thanks to a slap shot. Usually, they’re back out there for their next shift.
Because getting hit with the puck, and dealing with the pain, is part of hockey. We can probably all accept that basic notion, right?
But this … this should not be part of hockey:
This is honestly terrible pic.twitter.com/WUXN79tawo
— DNVR Avalanche (@DNVR_Avalanche) November 17, 2019
That’s Colorado’s Matt Calvert blocking a shot, with his head, and then struggling to get up and make his way off the ice because the officials did not blow play dead.
The Canucks eventually score — they were already one man up thanks to an empty net — and the medical team makes it onto the ice to tend to Calvert, who is bleeding profusely from the head.
Avalanche players were furious after watching a teammate in serious distress being left in a position of danger, and rightfully so. The officials made the wrong call, full stop. This is addressed on page 9 of the most recent NHL rule book I could find on the league’s site:
When a player is injured so that he cannot continue play or go to his bench, the play shall not be stopped until the injured player’s team has secured control of the puck. If the player’s team is in control of the puck at the time of injury, play shall be stopped immediately unless his team is in a scoring position.
In the case where it is obvious that a player has sustained a serious injury, the Referee and/or Linesman may stop the play immediately.
Though I’m not a medical doctor, and have no training in these matters, I’m going to go ahead and say blood gushing from a wound caused by the blunt force impact of vulcanized rubber qualifies as a serious injury.
And more than that, an incapacitated player will obviously be susceptible to further injury. The Canucks pretty clearly moved the puck around Calvert — nobody was about to aim another slap shot at him — but that’s no reason to keep play live. The game is too unpredictable and fast for that to be taken into consideration.
Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson was most unequivocal in his anger after the game, saying:
“It’s a [expletive] joke. You want to protect a guy? Guy’s got a family at home, he’s laying there bleeding out of his head and you don’t blow the whistle? It’s a complete joke. An absolute joke. They should be ashamed of themselves.”
Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, who would score to win the game early in overtime, brought up the incident in his post-game interview:
Nathan MacKinnon on the NHL rule that allowed play to continue while teammate Matt Calvert was laying down on the ice bleeding pic.twitter.com/bwXttX2Vh2
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) November 17, 2019
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar also questioned the lack of a whistle:
“That’s the second time in two weeks a guy takes a puck to the face and is bleeding all over the ice.
Sometimes it’s a tough call to make, but in that situation, you should’ve blown it dead.” pic.twitter.com/KI1dJPnpvd
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 17, 2019
Should be pointed out: The Canucks player who hit Calvert, Elias Pettersson, immediately tried to get the officials to notice Calvert was in trouble. And the player who scored, Alexander Edler, refused to celebrate and moved swiftly to make sure Calvert got attention.
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