It was a routine warmup, but for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it quickly turned into a frightening moment no one saw coming. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz found himself at the center of it all after taking a puck to the throat off the stick of teammate William Nylander. The hit forced him to leave the ice and head to the hospital.
Anthony Stolarz Details Frightening Warmup Incident After Neck Shot
The incident happened during the pregame warmup on Saturday. Nylander fired a shot that missed the intended target and struck Stolarz in the throat area. It is one of the most dangerous areas for a goalie, and the reaction was instant.
Stolarz was taken to a nearby hospital for precautionary imaging, where doctors checked for any damage. Fortunately, the results came back clear, and he was released soon after.
Speaking on Monday, Stolarz did not downplay the unsettling moment. “Just kind of shock,” he said. “It’s something that happens, it’s an occupational hazard. You’ve got pucks coming at you anywhere from 70 to 100 mph, they’re going to catch you in a bad spot in a while.”
For a few tense moments, though, it felt more serious. Stolarz noted that he seized up and found it difficult to breathe and talk, but after about 30 or 40 minutes, it all started coming back to him.
The puck, he explained, hit a very specific and exposed area. “It got me right between the seam where the neck and collarbone [meet], there’s a little area and it just kind of caught me. I’m just fortunate it wasn’t puck on skin, because that would’ve been definitely a lot worse,” he said.
With Stolarz unavailable for Saturday’s game in Ottawa, the Maple Leafs had to make a quick adjustment. Joseph Woll started, while local emergency backup goalie Anthony Urban was dressed but did not play. Woll turned aside 38 shots, but the Maple Leafs still fell 5-2 to the Ottawa Senators.
After the game, Nylander addressed the incident. “Obviously, it’s really tough to see that happen,” he said. “I mean, I always come in and shoot puck in the glove, and this one just came off a little bit to the left, and I hit him in the neck. So, I mean, I was obviously worried for him.”
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The good news for the Maple Leafs is that Stolarz was back on the ice for Monday’s practice. The team officially recalled Dennis Hildeby from the AHL on an emergency basis Monday morning to provide additional depth.
Stolarz is expected to be available for one of the team’s next two games, starting with a road matchup against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, followed by a home game against the New York Rangers on Wednesday. After such a close call, even getting back to normal might take a little time.
