NHL official Steve Barton had to be stretchered off the ice last night after a scary collision in the early going of a Columbus Blue Jackets and Edmonton Oilers game.
Just 3:51 into the game, Barton was clipped low by Connor McDavid, resulting in Barton falling back hard and on his side. Zach Werenski cut off McDavid in the neutral zone, and McDavid flew past Werenski in the air. Once McDavid landed on the ice, his upper body caught Barton and the injury happened. On one of the side angles of the collision, you can see that Barton’s left shoulder and head take the brunt of the impact.
Barton was on the ice for a long period of time as he was checked upon by trainers and team doctors. Eventually, Barton was moved to a stretcher where he spent another period of time before finally being taken off the ice.
The big concern was Barton’s head and neck taking the force of the impact, while he lay motionless on the ice for several minutes.
According to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, Barton was able to move all extremities and the Hospital visit was considered to be precautionary.
https://twitter.com/SportsnetSpec/status/978809997789356032
Hopefully, this was just a scary incident and Barton avoids any serious damage. NHL officials barely carry any padding when on the ice, so any fall from an official could result in injury.
