This is the terrifying moment St Louis Blues hockey star Dylan Holloway collapsed and was rushed to hospital after being hit in the neck by the puck.
The troubling incident occurred during the first period of a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Missouri, when Nicholas Paul knocked the puck into Holloway from point-blank range.
He managed to skate for about 30 seconds, even receiving the ball and passing it to a teammate, before eventually returning to the bench and collapsing onto the bench.
Seconds later he had collapsed and the doctors came to his aid, held his neck and straightened him out on a stretcher.
Players then knelt on the ice as Holloway was wheeled through the tunnel to the locker room, where he was taken straight to the hospital and the first period of the game was stopped early.
Dylan Holloway takes the puck in his neck during the first period of the NHL game on Tuesday
He finished his shift, but less than a minute later he collapsed on the couch
Players knelt on the ice as medics tended to Holloway before he was taken to hospital
Shortly thereafter, hockey insider Frank Seravalli reported that Holloway “will be fine,” writing on X, “His airway is open and unobstructed.
‘There is no swelling around his neck, a precautionary scan has been planned in hospital. Holloway’s parents were in town for the game and are with him at the hospital.”
He was also reported to be alert and responsive when transported to the medical facility while play continued in his absence.
Holloway is only 23 and has played three seasons in the NHL after being drafted 14th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2020.
He moved south of the border to St. Louis in August of this year on a two-year contract worth $2.29 million per year.