Canucks' Brock Boeser Had To Crawl Off The Ice After Taking A Puck To The Foot

Canucks winger and 20-year-old rookie point leader Brock Boeser took a hard shot to his left foot in the second period of Vancouver’s game Sunday against the Flames. Even though Boeser clearly could not put any weight on his foot, play was not stopped, so he had to use his other leg to essentially row himself from the far corner by his net all the way to the Canuck bench while the action continued. It was rough.

From the NHL rulebook, here’s what the league says about stopping the game for injuries:

When a player is injured so that he cannot continue play or go to his bench, the play shall not be stopped until the injured player’s team has secured control of the puck. If the player’s team is in control of the puck at the time of injury, play shall be stopped immediately unless his team is in a scoring position.

In the case where it is obvious that a player has sustained a serious injury, the Referee and/or Linesman may stop the play immediately.

Once the Vancouver fans take notice of the injury and start to boo, it’s true that Calgary is in possession. But Boeser got from the corner to the middle of his own defensive zone with the Canucks holding the puck, and it feels like a pretty bad oversight on the officials’ part to make him crawl all the way to his bench.

The Canucks have yet to officially say how long Boeser will be out, but he was on crutches after the 6-1 loss, and he had a CT scan on his foot this morning. The team also called up a forward today, which implies its talented rookie could miss at least a few games. It’s a tough blow for a team that’s already lost five of its last six, as Boeser’s 17 goals account for 19 percent of Vancouver’s overall goals this season.