NHL referee Chris Rooney left Game 7 between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs after being struck in the face with a stick.
In the opening moments of the second period, Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola attempted to clear the puck off the glass, but the follow-through from his stick hit Rooney in the face around his eye. He fell to the ice and covered his face, while the trainers for both clubs were called on to treat him.
The stretcher was brought on the ice, but after staying down for a few minutes, Rooney stood up and was helped off the ice, holding a towel to his face. The arena crew had to clean blood off the ice.Â
Rooney is a veteran referee, officiating over 1,500 regular-season and playoff games in his 24-year career. He’s officiated seven Stanley Cup finals, including in 2023 between the Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights, according to the NHL Officials Association.
At the second intermission, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Rooney seems to be OK and was receiving stitches.
Garrett Rank stepped in as the standby official for the game. He made his NHL referee debut in January 2015 and his playoff debut in May 2021.
Rank has officiated over 600 regular-season games in his career and 24 playoff games as of Oct. 1, 2024.
This isn’t the first time a standby referee came into action in this series between the Panthers and Maple Leafs. Referee Wes McCauley subbed in for linesman Shandor Alphonso in Game 2.
Rank was able to wear his usual No. 7, unlike McCauley, who wore No. 85 on a linesperson uniform rather than his typical No. 4.
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