Scary scene from the 2011 IIHF world championships in Slovakia.
In the first period of their preliminary round game, Swiss forward Simon Moser was absolutely demolished on a hit by Canadian (and Toronto Maple Leafs) defenseman Dion Phaneuf. Once on the bench, he appeared to lose consciousness before being tended to by the training staff and leaving the game under his own power.
The hit, and the aftermath (stick-tap to Too Many Men On the Site)
As Evan Hammer, hipped us to the hit, wrote: "Ugly to see. Chill down the spine, seemed like Jiri Fischer for a moment."
Chris Johnston of the Canadian Press reports that Moser returned for the third period, rather incredibly. From Sports Expressen:
According to TV10, he swallowed his tongue and the referee stopped the game temporarily. "This does not look good, an [expletive] nasty whack, "says TV10's expert commentator Calle Johansson.
Calle Johansson, wordsmith. Now, was the Phaneuf hit legal by IIHF standards? If he got him in the head, their rules for the 2010 Winter Games:
Rule 540 - Checking to the Head and Neck Area — A player who directs a check or blow, with any part of his body, to the head and neck area of an opposing player or "drives" or "forces" the head of an opposing player into the protective glass or boards, shall be assessed at the discretion of the Referee, a minor and a misconduct penalty; a major and game misconduct penalty; or a match penalty. When injury occurs, a match penalty must be assessed.
Principle point of contact appeared to be the chest, however; so Phaneuf was, and should be, in the clear.