NHL Rinkside reporter Rob Ray was clocked in the face mid-game by a hockey puck during a live broadcast late last month.
Ray, who was a former professional ice hockey player for the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators, yelled, "Ah f**k!" after being struck, and it was picked up on the MSG Network broadcast.
You can watch a clip here.
People gave him a pass for his f-bomb outburst.
According to Buffalo’s WIVB-TV, Ray took the shiner during the first period of Buffalo’s match against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center, leaving him with "gashes above his eye and on his nose” and a broken pair of glasses.
Later in the game, Ray maintained his position between the benches and told fellow commentator Dan Dunleavy:
“I got a couple little stitches."
When asked where he was struck first, Ray pointed above his left eyebrow and said, "Right where the golf ball is right here. Yeah, that's not normal."
Ouch!
The Sabres went home the victor that night with an 8-2 win over the Rangers.
This wasn't the first time a rogue puck made a bee-line for the NHL's King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner.
He was thwacked in the face by a puck last season, but it didn't stop him from continuing his commentary while holding a bandage over the wound.
What a pro.
It isn't surprising given Ray's propensity for physical altercations that involved shedding his jersey and ditching his shoulder pads to make it difficult for opponents to fight back.
His repeated penchant for spirited sparring prompted the NHL to come up with the Rob Ray Rule which penalizes players with misconduct for removing jerseys during fights.
Knowing this about him, fans were confident the fighter would recover from his recent dustup with the inanimate object.
We hope his cuts heal and that painful golf ball-sized lump shrinks soon!
@JamesTate121/X
Hockey Commentator Takes A Hard-Driven Puck To The Face During Game—And Ouch!
Buffalo Sabres commentator and former NHL star Rob Ray yelled, "Ah, f**k!" after taking a puck right above his eye, leaving a few cuts and a "golf ball"-sized bump in its wake.
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