Pre-Game Collision Doesn’t Keep Chara off the Ice
The action in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals started before the puck even dropped. Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara collided with teammate Milan Lucic during pregame warmups. Chara was skating in the neutral zone and turned towards the Bruins blue line when he lost an edge and took out Lucic from behind.
Chara left the ice to receive stitches in the back of his head but made it back in time for the first puck drop. He ended up playing a team-high 25:47 of ice time and notched an assist.
The incident was reported by Hockey Night in Canada and Edmonton Oilers left winger Taylor Hall put his two cents in.
Hall had his own pregame mishap in 2012. He tripped over a puck and was sent tumbling to the ice. Teammate Corey Potter couldn’t avoid him and inadvertently slashed Hall’s face with the blade of his skate.
Big Z and Looch are two of the biggest and toughest guys in the league and a little pregame run-in like this wasn’t serious enough for them to miss any ice time, especially in the Stanley Cup Finals.
