Marian Hossa released from hospital

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa was taken off the ice on a stretcher and briefly hospitalized after being hit by Phoenix's Raffi Torres in the first period of Game 3 of their opening-round playoff series on Tuesday night.

Hossa was near the boards at center ice and had just turned and passed the puck when Torres left his skates and delivered a late shot with his shoulder that knocked Hossa to the ice. Hossa was down for about five minutes as medical personnel rushed immediately to his side, and then was taken off of the ice.

Hossa, who led the Blackhawks with 77 points this season, was taken to the hospital and released Tuesday night, the Blackhawks said. He is expected to recover completely, but there is no timetable for his return.

"After initial evaluation on the ice, (Hossa) was taken by ambulance to the hospital for further testing, which yielded encouraging results," team physician Dr. Michael Terry said in a statement given by the Blackhawks after Chicago's 3-2 overtime loss. "He has been released from the hospital and we are monitoring him closely at home."

Torres, who had run-ins with the Blackhawks previously while with Vancouver, wasn't penalized. Torres is facing an NHL hearing for the hit, according to a source familiar with the situation. The hearing is expected to be within the next 24 hours, and the NHL wants it to be done in person, according to the source. When a hearing is done in person, the penalty could be longer than five games. Torres could waive the in-person requirement and leave himself open to a longer penalty after a conference call.

Last season, in Game 3 of the first-round series, Torres delivered a hard hit to Brent Seabrook.

"First off, I hope he's all right," Torres said after the game. "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."

Seconds after the hit, Chicago's Brandon Bollig was given a 10-minute misconduct for roughing.

"It's tough. You saw the hit," Chicago's Patrick Kane said between periods. "I think it'll be reviewed by the league. It's just tough you don't get a power play out of it."

That Torres did not draw a penalty brought a pointed response from Chicago coach Joel Quenneville.

"It was a brutal hit," Quenneville said. "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."

Information from ESPNChicago.com reporter Jesse Rogers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print
• Subscribe