“Prayers up,” wrote an earnest Frank Seravalli on X after NHL official Chris Rooney had to leave Game 7 between the Panthers and the Maple Leafs on Sunday. The NHL official caught Niko Mikkola‘s inadvertent stick during the second period of the game and was subsequently taken off the ice. Thankfully, it looks like the official has managed to pull off a narrow escape from any major damage.
The Athletic‘s Pierre LeBrun hopped on X on May 19, a day after the sordid affair took the hockey community by surprise, to share hearty news regarding the referee. “Update on veteran ref Chris Rooney who left Game 7 last night in Toronto after taking a stick on a follow through. Scary incident. Has a black eye but luckily no eye damage,” LeBrun’s post brought relief to thousands of fans from around the world.
During Sunday’s game, which the Panthers won 6-1 and subsequently sealed their spot in the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, Chris Ronney was caught in the crossfire. Mikkola was caught off guard by Mitch Marner as the former tried to fend off an attack by the Maple Leafs. The Cats’ star’s stick caught the referee’s visor, and the Rooney immediately went down on the ice with his hands over his face.
The play was halted for several minutes as the crowd at the Scotiabank Center was left aghast by the accident. Luckily, though, Chris isn’t going to need a whole lot of time to recover and could be back on the ice soon once again. “Hopes to be back working later this round. Good news it wasn’t worse,” LeBrun’s social media update claims that Rooney’s playoff participation is far from over.
Update on veteran ref Chris Rooney who left Game 7 last night in Toronto after taking a stick on a follow through. Scary incident. Has a black eye but luckily no eye damage. Hopes to be back working later this round. Good news it wasn’t worse.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 19, 2025
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