Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson was responsible for a cross-check against Florida Panthers Radko Gudas that led to a leg injury of a linesman.
The Canadiens were having a rough time Dec. 29 in the 3rd period when Edmundson’s frustrations seemed to boil over. He cross-checked Gudas from behind, sending him straight down to the ice, and as linesman Ryan Jackson came in to make the call, he seemed to take a skate to the back of his leg. The bizarre sequence left Jackson writhing in pain as he clutched the back of his leg.
Wild sequence that results in a game misconduct for Joel Edmundson and linesman exiting the game with an injury pic.twitter.com/IMgkkeurx0
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) December 30, 2022
Montreal was down 7 to 2 and struggling to keep ownership of the puck in the third. With 9:16 left on the clock, the whistle blew, but that didn’t stop Edmundson from issuing the blow. Gudas stood no chance at all against Edmundson’s dirty cross-check and took a hard hit after being slammed from behind.
Within seconds, Panthers defenseman Marc Staal tackled Edmundson to the ice with his fists swinging.
Jackson approached to make the call and was quickly tangled up in the mess. He appeared to land on Edmundson’s skate as he hit the ice and immediately grabbed his leg, signaling his injury.
Montreal’s Jonathan Drouin was the first to notice Jackson’s injury and flagged down officials in an attempt to get medical aid for the injured linesman. (RELATED: NHL Legend Paul Bissonnette Picks His Nose For A Full 35 Seconds In Iconic Search For Boogers)
This game was Jackson’s 19th National Hockey League game.
Edmundson earned a 10-minute game misconduct for the bad hit, plus a four-minute minor. Gudas and Staal were also in the box with a four-minute minor issued to each of the players.
There has been no update issued on Jackson’s injury as of early Friday morning.