- Wrestling. Maxx Justice cause of death: historic wrestler es away at age 63
- More Sports. 31-year-old runner dies in New York City half marathon
Referee Chris Rooney, considered one of the best in the NHL, was injured and had to leave the playoff game between Florida and Toronto with a bloody face after being hit hard in the face with a stick.
The incident occurred 13 seconds into the second period, when Niko Mikkola (Florida Panthers) was contesting the puck and his stick struck Rooney's nose.
The game was stopped for several minutes and the stretcher rushed onto the ice, but Rooney was able to skate off under his own power with a towel covering much of his face.
In the locker room, he underwent further evaluation and treatment, receiving stitches and being ruled out for the remainder of the game.
The NHL has backup referees for playoff games and Garrett Rank took over as one of the two referees after Rooney's injury