Corey Perry chokes up as he explains rival Tavares’ horrific injury

He knew he had badly injured his friend…

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
Corey Perry chokes up as he explains rival Tavares’ horrific injury
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It was a scary scene in Toronto on Thursday night when Maple Leafs captain John Tavares was taken off the ice on a stretcher after a collision early in the first-round playoff matchup with the Montreal Canadiens. 

It was a freak accident: Tavares bumped into Habs defenseman Ben Chariot, fell to the ice where he was defenseless and hit by forward Corey Perry’s knee. 

Trainers and doctors from both teams rushed to the ice and attended to the veteran forward before he was taken away. The game was halted for several minutes. A game which the Canadiens won to take the 1-0 lead in the series. 

After the game, Perry was asked about what happened on the ice with Tavares and it was easy to tell it was a tough topic for the veteran forward. He attempted to explain how he tried to jump over Tavares, but couldn’t avoid him. Perry knew he couldn’t have done anything different, but appeared shaken up and choked up a few times with his answer. 


This is the full press conference, which kicks off with a question on the incident: 

Perry will reach out to Tavares, a friend, to make sure he is recovering well. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the loss that Tavares was conscious and communicating well. He added his tests had come back clear, though Tavares was to remain in hospital overnight.

"Scary situation when that happens," Perry said. "Never wanna see that. It's unfortunate. I'll reach out and make sure he's all right."

The scene was tough on the Maple Leafs and their fans, but also on the Canadiens, especially Perry. The Habs' forward knew he was going to be asked about the incident in the press conference, but it's also easy to tell how the situation weighs on him and how he wishes it had never taken place. 

We wish Tavares the best and hope to get some positive news on his status later in the day. It appears pretty clear that he will miss some time - possibly the rest of the series - with this scary injury. The Canadiens and Maple Leafs will face off for the second game of this first-round series on Saturday night, at the ScotiaBank Centre. 

Source: TSN