WATCH | Junior B player is knocked unconscious after being shoved head and neck first into the boards

PUBLICATION

Felip Gosselin
March 5, 2023 (1:18 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Hockey has been developing at a pace no one could've expected, from the times when enforcers patrolled the ice as soon as we entered the lower tiers of Junior hockey, now that this specie is extinct, the game has grown more skilled than ever, but the number of cheap shots seems to be increasing a ton.

We're once again hearing about the NEAJBHL, a Junior B league in Alberta after Kurtis Labant from the St. Paul Canadiens delivered a disgusting hit. Labant was defending his zone when Joel Webb came with possession. He then shoved him which, up to that point, is a great defensive play, but when Webb falls down Labant drives his head and neck first into the boards.

Webb immediately lost consciousness and he took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the play:

''I was knocked out the other night on a ruthless hit, I have been sitting in a dark room since. I have not left my house. This player is a repeat offender and only received a 3-4 game suspension. Players get suspended more for saying bad words. Do feelings matter more than health?''

The sequence generated quite the buzz and the leagues have been called out on Twitter since then. The video clearly shows that the referee made the call on the play, without any hesitation, we later learned that Labant had been awarded a three-game suspension as a result.

CREDIT: Blade of Steel