Taylor Hall is well known for his speed and scoring abilities, but who knew he could turn into a freight train and run hit someone the way he did last night.
Unfortunately for Philip Larsen of the Vancouver Canucks, he was caught off guard and on the receiving end of Hall’s big hit.
The play all started after Lucas Sbisa collected the puck in his own zone and sent the puck behind the net for Larsen. You can see in the video clip below that Hall did a tremendous job of anticipating the play Sbisa was going to make and found himself in the perfect position to make a play. As soon as Larsen picked up the puck, he went to head the other way and was met by Taylor Hall’s ferocious check.
Hall’s hit may have knocked out Larsen right away, but then additional damage was done as his head smacked the ice with a pretty powerful force. Larsen then laid motionless on the ice as a scrum ensued all around.
The worst part of the entire scene may have been the complete disregard for Larsen’s well-being as he laid unconscious on the ice. Players from both the New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks cared more about fighting than protecting the injured Larsen. In fact, Larsen’s head was kicked a couple times and nearly stepped on. Thankfully, Jacob Markstrom and Markus Granlund stepped in to help shield their teammate.
