Philadelphia Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway appears to have avoided serious injury following a scary collision in Thursday night’s 5-4 overtime loss at Pittsburgh.
The team said Friday that tests came back negative on Hathaway, who had to be helped off the ice following a big blindside hit by Penguins forward Boko Imama at the 10:15 mark of the second period.
Hathaway did not have possession of the puck when Imama delivered the upper-body check. Officials originally called a five-minute major penalty but reduced it to a minor for interference following a review that determined Imama did not hit Hathaway in the head.
Hathaway did not return to the ice and Flyers coach John Tortorella was still irate about the call after the game.
“It’s probably one of the dirtiest hits I’ve seen in quite a while,” Tortorella said.
“… I understand the explanation. But I don’t understand how you end up with two minutes on probably one of the dirtiest hits I’ve seen in a while.”
Hathaway, 33, has recorded 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) while playing in all 60 games so far this season. He leads the Flyers with 218 hits — 99 more than runner-up Scott Laughton.
–Field Level Media
