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"Hard to watch" - Dylan Larkin knocked out prompts Red Wings coach, teammates reaction
The Detroit Red Wings faced a harrowing moment when their captain, Dylan Larkin, was knocked out during a game against the Ottawa Senators.
With over six minutes remaining in the first period, Senators forward Mathieu Joseph struck Dylan Larkin in the back of the head. The impact caused Larkin to lose balance and collide with another Ottawa player, Parker Kelly. As a result, Larkin ended up lying unconscious on the ice.
Ben Chiarot, a defenseman, expressed his concerns and admitted how difficult it is to see a friend and respected leader in such a vulnerable state.
"It’s scary for everybody in the rink when you see somebody unconscious. Hard to watch, especially when it’s your friend and captain." Chiarot said.
The fear extended beyond the rink as Chiarot acknowledged the distress Dylan Larkin's family must have felt witnessing the incident.
"Scary for his family when you see someone down like that. A lot of different emotions."
The medical team quickly rushed to attend to Dylan Larkin, who remained on the ice for a few minutes. Eventually, he managed to get up and skate off under his power without needing assistance from the stretcher that had been prepared for him.
Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde was visibly shaken by the event and praised Larkin's resilience:
"It was a really scary situation of him being knocked out, then leaving on his own feet. It’s a really tough look seeing him passed out on the ice, unconscious.”
The aftermath of Dylan Larkin getting hit
The officials took action in response to the incident by penalizing Joseph and Kelly.
Later, Lalonde applauded the officials for how they handled the issue, emphasizing their ability to communicate effectively and make judgments under duress.
"The refs probably did the right thing in taking the 5-minute call in order to be able to review it and communicate extremely well. They probably did a really good job with that situation, all considering,” he said.
David Perron of the Red Wings retaliated against Senator’s defenseman Artem Zub with a cross-check that led to a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for intent to injure.
The game resumed, but the Red Wings were at a disadvantage after losing Dylan Larkin and Perron, with only nine forwards remaining on the ice. The Senators took advantage of the situation, scoring three goals, including two on power plays, to flip the tide in their favor.
During the third period, Christian Fischer challenged Joseph to a fight. Lalonde later commended this action as it demonstrated solidarity and team spirit.
"I think all 21 guys would have done the same thing in our room. Obviously, wanted to wait a second there, we had nine forwards," Fischer said.
"There was probably multiple opportunities to do that earlier, but didn’t want to go down to (eight) forwards.”
Lalonde said he appreciated Fischer fighting.
"He’s doing that for his teammates. I even appreciate Mathieu Joseph understandably taking the fight, too," Lalonde said.
The Detroit Red Wings lost the game 5-1 to the Ottawa Senators.
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