Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat narrowly escapes serious injury after dirty hit from Leafs (VIDEO)
It was a tense moment for Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat, who narrowly escaped what could have been a serious injury after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Maple Leafs forward Max Pacioretty.
What on earth was veteran Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Pacioretty thinking with this play?
Just 42 seconds into the 1st period of tonight's divisional clash between the Detroit Red Wings and Leafs at Little Caesars Arena, Pacioretty was whistled for a dirty knee-on-knee hit on Detroit's Alex DeBrincat.
DeBrincat immediately fell to the ice in pain and struggled to get back to the bench while also being unable to put much weight on his leg.
Meanwhile, DeBrincat's teammate Ben Chiarot immediately went after Pacioretty and wrestled him to the ice in retaliation.
Pacioretty was whistled for a two-minute minor for kneeing, and even appeared to be smirking in the penalty box as the infraction was announced.
The good news for Detroit is that DeBrincat remained in the tunnel without going back to the dressing room, and was soon back out on the ice.
The former captain of the Montreal Canadiens should be more careful when it comes to dangerous and potentially career-threatening plays considering that he's suffered two separate Achilles tendon tears in his career.
Knee-on-knee hits can be career-threatening, and Alex DeBrincat is fortunate to have not been more seriously hurt
Multiple notable NHL players in the past have suffered serious injuries thanks to taking a dirty hit to their knee from an opponent, including Kirill Kaprizov, Michael Rosival and Ryan Kesler.
Thankfully for DeBrincat, he avoided a potentially serious injury thanks to Pacioretty's carelessness.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 14 | 106 ANSWERS Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat narrowly escapes serious injury after dirty hit from Leafs (VIDEO) Should dirty knee-on-knee hits be punished more severely? | ||
| Yes, those can threaten careers | 99 | 93.4 % |
| No, their on-ice penalty is enough punishment | 7 | 6.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
