COLUMBUS — Sean Kuraly was hospitalized after the Columbus Blue Jackets forward suffered an abdominal injury that resulted in the final 19 seconds of the first period being missed in a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Nationwide Arena.
The Blue Jackets issued a statement saying the injury did not appear to be serious, but Kuraly went to the hospital for further evaluation. Columbus coach Pascal Vincent Vincent said he believed Kuraly was struck in the chest by a stick.
“They check to see if there’s any bleeding or anything like that,” he said. “It was also a hit to the head, so a combination of the upper body.”
Kuraly was caught in a check between Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and defenseman Jake McCabe when he momentarily went down behind the Toronto goal. He stood up, then leaned forward and walked to the bench.
Kuraly was heading into the tunnel when he collapsed. His teammates and coaches frantically waved to medical staff from across the ice and even threw a towel to alert the referees to stop the game.
“I saw him get hit on the other side,” Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli said. “He was my (line) changer, so I was watching him get going and he came slow and hunched over. I jumped on the ice and the whistle blew and there was a lot of excitement on the bench.
“We are praying for him. We're really glad he's doing well. That's scary. You never want to experience that.”
Vincent said he wasn't sure what was going on behind him either.
“It was a scary moment; “You don’t know what happened,” Vincent said. “What happened was the punch and then he came back to the bench. And then what happened in the hallway? I don't know. I just saw the trainers and medical staff and it was urgent. This is not fun.”
The Blue Jackets were losing 1-0 at the time of the suspension. When the game resumed after the regular break, 19 seconds had been played. The second period began with a face-off and 22 seconds later Justin Danforth equalized to 1-1 before the Maple Leafs won.
“The first bit was pretty tense, but once we get the word down you reset and go out. There’s nothing we can do,” Columbus defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. “Ultimately, he is with the people who can best help him. As a hockey player, you are told to get back on the ice. The first thing that comes to your mind is the idea of “Winning for this guy.” If anything, it probably increases your focus in this way.
“They told us he was fine. I look forward to checking on him myself.”