NHL ref's blood pours onto the ice after being smashed in the face by a player's stick
By Jake Fenner
Daily Mail
May 19, 2025
Referee Chris Rooney was cut above his eye after getting hit with the stick of Florida's Nikko Mikkola (77) during Sunday's Game 7 in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
Sunday evening's pivotal Game 7 in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs came to a screeching and terrifying halt after an injury to one of the on-ice officials.
Referee Chris Rooney suffered a serious cut above his eye during the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Rooney took an inadvertent high stick to the face from Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola in the Florida defensive zone just 13 seconds into the second period. Mikkola's stick went under the referee's visor and clipped him.
The Boston, Massachusetts native fell to the ice as blood gushed from the cut and onto the playing surface.
Play was stopped for several minutes as Rooney received medical attention from two members of the training staff.
Rooney was eventually helped off the ice and received stitches to his cut.
Rooney fell to the ice after the hit. He was then helped by training staff and received stitches.
The Maple Leafs lost their seventh consecutive Game 7 dating back to the 2013 playoffs
He did not return to the game. Garrett Rink, who was an official on standby in Toronto, took over his duties.
Per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, Rooney had a black eye the morning after, but did not sustain any eye damage. He hopes to be back later this round.
Rooney is considered one of the best and most experienced referees in the sport - having called NHL games since 2000.
He's called over 1,500 games across both the regular season and the playoffs. That includes the Stanley Cup Finals in 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023.
The Maple Leafs followed up a horrendous 6-1 Game 5 loss at home with a gutsy Game 6 victory to force a Game 7 on home ice.
Much like in many years past, the Leafs once again fell in May as Toronto was embarrassed 6-1 to be eliminated from the playoffs.
Scotiabank Arena booed the Leafs off the ice in a game where fans took their anger out by throwing beer and jerseys onto the playing surface - including during play.
Toronto has now lost an unfathomable seven consecutive Game 7's - dating all the way back to 2013, when they were defeated in overtime by the rival Boston Bruins.
The Leafs then lost to Boston in both 2018 and 2019, were eliminated by another rival - the Montreal Canadiens - in the Covid-affected 2021 season, fell the following year to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and then once again lost to the Bruins in 2024.
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