A nightmarish situation for the Detroit Red Wings and star winger Marian Hossa appears to have been avoided tonight. At Scottrade Center, Hossa was taken off the ice on a stretcher at 5:24 of the first period of the Wings' game against the St. Louis Blues.
Hossa had just shot the puck on net when he was shoved by Blues defenseman Roman Polak.
Hossa, who was off balance, fell forwards and crashed head-first into the boards. He immediately clutched his head with his hands, and lay still. He was attended by the Wings' training staff and by EMS personnel, was strapped onto a stretcher and taken to Barnes-Jewish hospital in St. Louis.
Red Wings spokesman John Hahn just said Hossa was taken to the hospital "as a precaution. He didn't lose consciousness, he didn't lose feeling. He was taken to hospital as a precaution because he'd just had a neck injury."
It was Hossa's first game back after missing a pair of contests with a stiff neck. Polak was given two minutes for roughing. As always, keep an eye on Snapshots for any additional updates on this situation -- but it does seem a hell of a lot sunnier for Hossa and the Wings than it did about an hour ago.