Game 7 of the second-round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers took a worrying turn early in the second period when referee Chris Rooney was accidentally hit in the face by a stick. Visibly bleeding, Rooney left the ice accompanied by medical staff.
Shortly after the start of the period, Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola was moving the puck along the boards when his stick came up and struck Rooney in the face. The official immediately fell to the ice in significant pain, prompting players to quickly signal for trainers as blood poured from his face.
Rooney remained on the ice for several moments while trainers attended to him. By the time he skated off with a towel covering his face, blood was spread across the ice surface and boards where the veteran referee had been struck.
According to the TNT broadcast, Rooney was able to leave the ice under his own power and received stitches for a cut above his eye. Following Rooney`s departure, Garrett Rank stepped in as the replacement referee for the remainder of the game.
Rinkside commentator Brian Boucher reported that Mikkola expressed surprise upon learning his stick was the one that had hit Rooney up high. After the referee left the ice, the ice crew spent several minutes scraping blood from the surface before play resumed.
