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Flames' Gilbert thankful for linesman protecting his head from hitting the ice

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Nov 24 2023, 9:11 pm
Flames' Gilbert thankful for linesman protecting his head from hitting the ice

Calgary Flames defenceman Dennis Gilbert is well aware of how much worse his fight versus Michael McCarron on Wednesday night could have been.

After sitting out several games as a healthy scratch, Gilbert was in the lineup on Wednesday versus the Nashville Predators. Down 2-1 late in the first period, the 27-year-old knew he needed to make an impression, and chose to drop the gloves with McCarron after a scrum in front of the Flames net.

While the scrap was pretty even, Gilbert’s helmet was dislodged from the get-go. That turned out to be a scary situation, as he fell down backwards at the end of the fight and looked as though he was about to hit his head on the ice. Thankfully, linesman Tyson Baker was able to step in and place his hand between the head of the Flames defenceman and the ice, softening the blow in a big way.


“Things happen really fast, and it can get a little dicey when helmets come off,” Gilbert said to reporters on Friday afternoon. “Obviously, you know what you’re entering into when you get involved with that, it’s obviously a risk, anything can happen. Definitely awesome of [Baker] to do that. I’m not sure if they’re teaching that, or if that’s something that he just saw, but it was awesome. I’m definitely really appreciative.”


Thanks to the quick reaction from Baker, Gilbert ended up being okay and was able to stay in the game. Afterward, his head coach, Ryan Huska, applauded his effort, suggesting he was the Flames’ best defenceman in the game.

Gilbert appears to be getting rewarded for his performance, as he is expected to be back in the lineup tonight as the Flames are set to take on the Dallas Stars.

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