A freak accident led to a scary scene Tuesday night. During the St. Louis Blues’ home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dylan Holloway, a forward on the former team, was struck in the neck by a puck.
The incident occurred towards the end of the first period. Holloway was skating in the defensive zone when a Lightening player shot the puck toward the Blues’ net. Instead of flying into the net, though, Holloway got in the way of the fast-moving puck, which hit him in the neck.
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“Obviously, it was a scary situation,” Holloway, 23, said during a Wednesday press conference. “From what I’ve been told, the puck hit my vagus nerve in my neck. “
Instead of immediately going off of the ice, Holloway finished his shift.
“As soon as I got hit, I knew something was a little off, but then I saw we had a two-on-one, so I couldn’t pass up that opportunity,” Holloway explained as to why he stayed on the ice. “… I think it was more adrenaline than anything, kind of keeping me going.”
Inside the Moments After the Incident
It was only after Holloway made it back to the bench that he and the Blues’ training staff realized the potential seriousness of the injury.
“As soon as I got back to the bench I was feeling a little woozy,” he recalled. “… When I was going to the bench, it kind of felt like when you stand up too fast and get that head rush.”
Lightening players alerted the referee to the ongoing situation. A stretcher was brought out to take Holloway to the hospital via ambulance. The game stopped amid the commotion, and the remaining 1:11 of the first period was added on to the second period.
“I didn’t even know that they stopped the game. I told our head trainer that I felt weird on the bench, and then the next thing I knew I was awake on a stretcher close to the ambulance,” Holloway said. “… I didn’t realize it was actually that big of a deal.”
Holloway was loaded onto an ambulance, where he was given an IV.
“I was more kind of in shock. I wasn’t really too sure what happened. [I was] a little nauseous too. They gave me a little medication,” he said. “Once I figured out what really went down I started calming down and feeling better.”
Shortly after Holloway was taken off the ice, the team tweeted that he was in stable condition. Holloway’s teammates went on to win the game, besting the Lightening 3 to 2.
Dylan Holloway’s Road to Recovery
“I feel good today. I feel way better,” Holloway, who was released from the hospital Tuesday night, told the press. “… I’m just thankful that all the medical staff and everybody was so hands-on and was able to get me to the hospital quickly.”
He added, “There could have been a lot more wrong. We’re just thankful it wasn’t too serious.”
As for when he’ll return to the lineup, Holloway said he’d been instructed to rest for 24 hours before resuming activity. Holloway said hoping to lace up his skates for Thursday’s home game against the Utah Hockey Club.
