Longtime NHL referee Steve Kozari left the ice on a stretcher Saturday after colliding with Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Haydn Fleury during the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-4 victory.
The collision took place at center ice with 13:49 remaining in the game at PPG Paints Arena. Fleury stood back up and skated off the ice to the Lightning locker room, while Kozari lay motionless while the training staffs of both teams tended to him. Fleury did not return.
According to a statement released by the NHL after the game, Kozari was taken to the hospital for “precautionary reasons,” and that he was expected to make a full recovery.