How does the saying go? The bigger they are, the harder they fall? That turn of phrase applied Monday night as 6-foot-9 Zdeno Chara took a puck to the face and crumbled to the ice in the second period of Game 4 of the Stanley Cups Finals versus St. Louis.
With the Blues leading 2-1, St. Louis’ Brayden Schenn ripped a shot that deflected off Chara’s stick and struck the Slovak in the jaw. Blood immediately started dripping down his face, but in an act of pure hockey toughness, he waved off the athletic trainer offering him assistance.
Here’s the video of the incident.
Zdeno Chara took a puck in the face, immediately bled all over the ice, and then waved away the athletic trainer.
Hockey.
The Bruins are already without defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, who entered concussion protocol after a hit sustained in Game 2 that resulted in the suspension of the Blues’ Oscar Sundqvist. Chara was forced to exit Game 4, leaving Boston without one of the elite defenders in the league.
Blues forward Tyler Bozak faced a similar incident in Game 2 when he absorbed a high stick to the face. He returned only a period later to help St. Louis tie the series at 1-1.
UPDATE:
Good news.
Zdeno Chara is out there.
#Bruins.
Stay tuned for an injury update on Chara.
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WATCH: Bruins’ Zdeno Chara Takes Puck to Face, Bleeds, Waves Off Trainer