When Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin was forced to leave the game against the Ottawa Senators near the end of the first period on Saturday night, a terrifying spectacle took place in the Motor City.
It seemed like Senators forward Mathieu Joseph punched Larkin in the back of the head during a netfront scrum when Detroit was on the power play, knocking the captain into Parker Kelly. Artem Zub, a defenceman for Ottawa, then fell on top of Larkin when he went to the ice.
For a few moments, Larkin lay face down and did not move while medical personnel responded to him. Eventually, he managed to stand up and received assistance leaving the tunnel. They hauled out a stretcher onto the ice, but Larkin didn’t need it.
Larkin was eventually declared out of the game by the Red Wings, who went on to lose 5-1. Ansar Khan of MLive reports that Detroit head coach Derek Lalonde did not have any updates regarding Larkin’s health following the game.
Once the altercation was over, veteran Red Wings player David Perron rushed after Zub. With the intention of injuring, Perron was given a match penalty and removed from the game.
Kelly and Joseph were both given infractions for roughing.
Before Larkin left the game, the Senators were ahead 1-0, but as the first period ended, Red Wings forward Patrick Kane scored his first goal with his new team.
Larkin has experienced head and neck trauma in the past.
After Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn gave the 27-year-old a cross-check to the neck, he was out for the last eight games of the 2020–21 season. Throughout his recovery, Larkin had to wear a cervical hard collar for eight weeks.
Larkin took a check from Joseph, who was playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning at the time, in the opening game of the 2021–22 season, and it sent him flying into the boards. After striking Joseph in the face in retaliation, Larkin received a one-game suspension.
The NHL’s player safety is looking into this matter with the history of the players involved and severity of targeting a player’s head can produce beyond just fines but also suspension.
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