Scary Scene: Abbottsford Canucks' Mark Friedman leaves game on stretcher after scary hit to the head

Fans of the Vancouver Canucks are hoping for good news today on the status of defenceman Mark Friedman who was on the receiving end of a dangerous hit during Tuesday's AHL game between the Abbotsford Canucks and the Tucson Roadrunners, affiliate of the Utah Hockey Club.

During the third period of Tuesday night's game, Mark Friedman has the puck at the hashmarks in Tucson's zone when Roadrunners defenceman Montana Onyebuchi steps up and drives his shoulder through the head of the Abbotsford blueliner.

Friedman fell to the ice and was in obvious discomfort as players on both teams were waiving for medical staff to come and attend to him. After a little while, Friedman was stretchered off by paramedics and taken away in an ambulance. The game was put into a delay as they aren't allowed to continue until another ambulance is in the building.

After a review, the officials on the ice handed Tucson Roadrunners defenceman Montana Onyebuchi a match penalty for checking to the head. There's no doubt the American Hockey League will take a look at the play and see if it's worthy of a suspension, which it likely will be.

Onyebuchi is no stranger to receiving supplemental discipline at the American Hockey League level. It's been a while since he was suspended last, as back in March 2022, he was given a one-game ban for accumulating his 11th fighting major the season.

At the time of writing this, there hasn't been an update on the status of Mark Friedman, likely because the team is still evaluating where he's at before they can determine the severity of his injury and how long he'll be out of the lineup for.

Friedman had a strong camp for the Vancouver Canucks and wasn't cut until a day before the season began. In five games this season for the Abbotsford Canucks, the Toronto native has four points (one goal, three assists), no penalty minutes and is a plus-two.