Chicago Blackhawks Forward Marian Hossa Released After Observation

Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa was released from the hospital on Tuesday night after suffering a late hit by Phoenix’s Raffi Torres in the first period of Game 3 of the opening-round playoff series on Tuesday night.

Hossa was skating near the boards at center ice when he passed the puck after which time Torres left his skates to deliver a hard late shot against Hossa, knocking him to the ice with a shoulder hit. Hossa remained on the ice for nearly five minutes as medical personnel rushed to his side.

Hossa has played a key role in the Blackhawks success this season, racking up a team leading 77 points.

Team physician Dr. Michael Terry said of the player’s condition in a statement:

“After initial evaluation on the ice, (Hossa) was taken by ambulance to the hospital for further testing, which yielded encouraging results,” and “He has been released from the hospital and we are monitoring him closely at home.”

Torres was not penalized for his late hit which was somehow missed by four referees. This isn’t the first time Torres has laid out a hard hit against a Blackhawks player in the playoffs, last year during Game 3 of the first-round he delivered a similar hit to Brent Seabrook.

After the game Torres said of the hit:

“First off, I hope he’s all right, But as far as the hit goes, I felt like it was a hockey play. I was just trying to finish my hit out there, and, as I said, I hope he’s all right.”

In response to the lack of a penalty call Chicago coach Joel Quenneville called out the bad job of the NHL officials:

“It was a brutal hit. I saw exactly what happened. It was right in front of me. How four guys missed it was hard. The refereeing tonight was a disgrace.”