"He's a tough, tough guy": Flames' Tanev avoids major injury after taking slap shot to head
Chris Tanev is on the mend.
Tanev, who did not participate in morning skate with the Calgary Flames on Wednesday and will not play against the Vancouver Canucks, is “day-to-day,” according to coach Darryl Sutter.
“He’s better. Getting better. Just go day-to-day with him. Thankful there’s no fracture. You know where it hit him.”
Tanev left Calgary’s 2-1 shootout loss against the Montreal Canadiens midway through the second period after being struck with the puck on the side of the head by a slap shot off the stick of forward Nick Suzuki.
“It’s scary,” partner MacKenzie Weegar said. “He’s your teammate but he’s also a friend and he’s a good buddy of ours. You think about your health and stuff like that. It’s scary and you hate to see that stuff happen. The first thing you want to do is go see if he’s okay. Thankfully he was. He’s a warrior. Everybody I think in Calgary knows that he’s a tough, tough, guy.
“For him to go down like that is tough to see but I’m really happy he’s okay.”
Tanev lay motionless on the ice for several moments before being helped off.
He was taken to a local hospital, where “all tests have shown negative and he has been cleared to travel with the team back to Calgary,” the team tweeted postgame.
Very scary situation. Chris Tanev blocks a shot and doesn't get up. Hope and pray Tanev is ok. 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/HfIxSkggfu
— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 13, 2022
“He’s a warrior,” Flames forward Blake Coleman said. “He’s one of our leaders. He’s a guy that brings it every day. He doesn’t complain. He shows up and goes about his business. I haven’t looked at the stats, but I’d imagine he’s maybe at the top if not right there for shot blocks on this team. It’s just a big part of the game he brings. He does the little things right. He’s tough. He sacrifices for us.
“Unfortunately, that one caught him in a tough spot, but to no surprise, he’s back here today and looking good and already eager to get back in. It’s good news that he’s okay. You can’t speak enough to the toughness he brings to our team.”
Tanev has five assists and a -1 rating in 24 games this season. He is fourth on the team in ice time, averaging 19:54 per game.