A scary scene for Chris Tanev and the Toronto Maple Leafs in Saturday night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Toronto’s top defenseman had his head violently snapped back in an awkward collision, leaving him prone on the ice. He was taken off on a stretcher. Adding to the frightening scene is that he was playing his first game in 10 days after a concussion-related absence.
Tanev was backing up near the blueline and didn’t see Matvei Michkov when the two collided. The way his head snapped back is extremely concerning, considering he was just on concussion protocol. Although he barely moved as he was being carted off, he did flash a very quick thumbs-up.
It’s hard to say that there was anything intentional involved here. Michkov barely saw Tanev coming into him as he was following the play, and even made a slight move to try to avoid the Leafs’ d-man.
Chris Tanev taken to hospital on stretcher after on-ice collision
Tanev was taken to a local Philadelphia hospital for observation and tests. Head coach Craig Berube said after the game that he was moving and hoped he’d be alright.
The real problem here is that the 35-year-old Leafs defenseman has a history of concussions and head injury, even pre-dating these recent incidents.
Known as a true warrior, the shot-blocking Tanev is often able to bounce back from all the beatings his body has taken over the years. Now in his 16th season, questions will start to arise about how many more head injuries he can sustain before he’ll have to call it a career.
The Leafs are well aware of this type of issue. Former defenseman Jake Muzzin, also a true warrior on the ice, was forced to retire at the age of 34 under somewhat similar circumstances.
Tanev was playing his first game after IR stint for concussion symptoms
Tanev was activated off injured reserve on Saturday after missing the previous four contests. He told the media during practice that he was “stunned and confused” on the ice after his last hit on October 21st. He added that all concussion-related injuries are different.
“Sometimes your symptoms may last a while, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they’re headaches, sometimes they’re just head pressure. Could be your mood. I mean, there’s so many different things a person can feel, and I don’t think any one is the same.”
The Leafs can only hope that this one is not severe and doesn’t lead to any lasting problems.
Over a 16-year career, Tanev has blocked 1,849 shots in 875 games, while logging an average of 19:56 ice time. He has a plus/minus rating of +158. Last year with Toronto, he registered 189 blocked shots during the regular season, and another 38 in 13 playoff games.
