Blues forward leaves rink on stretcher after being struck in neck by puck
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St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway left Tuesday night's contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning and departed the rink on a stretcher after being struck by a puck late in the first period.
St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway left Tuesday night's contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning and departed the rink on a stretcher after being struck by a puck late in the first period.
Holloway was hit in the neck area by a puck with 2:37 remaining in the period, and proceeded to finish his shift, continuing to participate in the play before skating to the bench under his own power.
As play was stopped with 1:11 remaining for a high-sticking penalty that was later called off, teammates started calling and gesturing for assistance.
Blues trainer Ray Barile and medical staff from both teams tended to Holloway for several minutes before emergency medical technicians carted him off the bench on a stretcher.
"I was just sitting beside him and saw something was happening," Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko said. "I told Ray. He knows what he's doing. I was just kind of curious to what's going on. Doctors came in and, like, I think everything is good right now. But we were worried, everybody."
Holloway was seen raising his arm as he was carted off. The Blues later announced that Holloway was alert and stable and was being taken to a St. Louis area hospital for further observation.
"I think the only way I can put is if you're at work, and you get a call, and one of your family members is sick, and you rush to the hospital," Blues coach Drew Bannister said. "Holly's a family member. That was tough. I thought we, as a group, showed a lot of fortitude, and the way mentally being able to push through that, because the easiest thing to do is your head goes somewhere else. But, we were able to get updates on Holly and kind of put our minds at ease a little bit and refocus ourselves."
