Referee Steve Kozari Collides With Hayden Fleury (With Replay)

There was one replay that ESPN+ featured. Not a great view but here it is.
Uploaded by Alyssa Hope
Channel Link: / alyssahope
Alyssa Hope Twitter: @_alyssa_hope
All rights go to the NHL. I do not own the music and the footage used in this video. For entertainment purposes only.

[@Billy_Rizzle]

Kozari’s head really bounces off the ice. Hope he recovers soon.

[@Dirtytanker]

Fuck refs

[@wolfeusmc2011]

They said I'm the press he's expecting to make a full recovery thankfully

[@ninetysnano6071]

Shouldn’t have blown the whistle until they had possession of the puck.

[@callmeshaggy5166]

Classic fencing posture of someone knocked out cold. Scary stuff

[@letstrythisagain5096]

He’s a friend... because I support the lgbt community also.

[@AJEDDY97]

Man, even if you disagree with them as professionals... They're still human, and I think incidents like this remind fans of that. Prayers up for Steve and for his family.

[@walterraleigh5915]

Agreed, you might not always agree with their calls, they definitely make mistakes from time to time, but they are not the enemy - they have a job/role to officiate the game. If anyone thinks their job is easy or that they are not under massive pressure, become a ref for a team sport, especially a fast one like hockey, football or basketball. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[@michaelperkins739]

A person is still a human. Wow. Thanx for the clarification and obvious remark.

[@ryanbanning609]

​@michaelperkins739 you're not that guy

[@michaelperkins739]

@@ryanbanning609 You make no sense. Here OR at home I Guess!

[@sameplayer5220]

@@walterraleigh5915 nah, fuck every single ref. I hope for the worst on their behalf's, they sure are "humans" but are completely fine with being treated like a puppet by people writing the show.

[@Lightspeed-eo6nw]

Those collisions where both skaters are looking away from each other and the hit just happens out of the blue are the worst.

[@callmeshaggy5166]

I'm reminded of a collision between Mike Knuble (Flyers) & Brendan Shanahan (Rangers) that took both of them out and I think ended Shanahan's career.

[@d3ath8ybac0n4]

Nothing scarier than having hit head first. Damn.

[@boricuadetorontocanada]

It was also blindsided. In any sport, let alone on the ice, its the worst.

[@roadhunter72]

It’s amazing that this type of crash doesn’t happen more often. Hope he is OK and back on the ice as soon as possible

[@jordangamble3515]

The other perspective is how skilled everyone is on the ice to prevent this from happening. There are so many times in NHL games where something freakish could happen but everyone’s senses are running at 200 mph. This one was just bad timing. A second earlier or a second later maybe this don’t happen.

[@coreyharrison208]

Thanks Jens and Alyssa. I know you are trying to get these up quickly and appreciate the follow-up video

[@ryanfriesen4366]

Jen sucks

[@briansalce2808]

Man, that was rough. On top of everything else it looked like Fleury nearly fell face first on Kozari's left skate. Thank god that didn't happen.

[@moemanncann895]

You go the extra mile for us A.H thanks for that 👍

[@mp2764]

88!

[@hunter2981]

I can already hear Don Henderson tell Kozari to file a lawsuit... joke aside, even if we often disagree with them, being a ref is a thankless job and I hope he gets a quick recovery

[@zackyep]

Absolutely thankless. At best no one talks about them. I've always respected the mindset they have and skating ability to be invisible out there for 95% of the game.

[@MicBergsma]

Oh no hope he is okay. Thank you so much for CC 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙌🏼

[@frenchfrey65]

oh man, 100% an accident, neither one saw each other coming and that's always a recipe for disaster, safe recovery for both involved.

[@pootytang1120]

Hoping for a safe and quick recovery, ty for your service

[@Gilly1515]

Much better video

[@Gilly1515]

Always great content nonetheless! And hope he’s okay!

[@freiflug83]

Man that was hard to watch. The way he got hit, and then the fall scared me 😬

[@almercer4297]

That was a scary thing to see, I hope he recovers okay

[@Rosterized]

Its a tough situation and its kind of surprising it does not happen more often, both have their eyes on the play and the player does not really expect to run into a ref because expectations are refs are good at avoiding any sort of contact to players or puck. Tunnel vision and the ref has no clue theres even another player behind him

[@roland8775]

Scary collision.

[@sleeptime420]

Damn this is rough.. I hope he has a great recovery....

[@ZackRobi30]

Damn, head to head then head to ice. Hopefully he recovers soon!

[@Noledad77]

Wishing him a speedy recovery!

[@richardcranium5801]

Scary stuff. To update he is alert and conscious, expected to make a full recovery 🙏🏻

[@JS-kb4bk]

There's no full recovery. Look at how both arms went stiff in the air when his head hit and he became unconscious, that means permanent brain damage.

[@johnathanpatrick6118]

Oh, Steve...his head...!! 😨😨 That's a gnarly one. Get better Steve.

[@dirtmike6258]

jesus, he took a big hit ... his body went into the fencing pose, that's scary

[@mattbertram9505]

Fencing pose = concussion

[@JoeCroninSHOW]

Damn looks like he got a stinger hope hes ok

[@jeepwanker]

Praying he fully recovers 🙏

[@Kazzee1992]

Clean hit, we need more of this...

[@dceufan]

GET WELL SOON STEVE KOZARI.

[@Lucariofan843]

That’s something you NEVER want to see happen. Thank goodness he regained consciousness, and prayers for a full recovery. Super scary.

[@GWh135]

Saw this live and it was pretty scary, nobody saw what happened we just heard the whistle blow and the ref looked like he was dead for a minute with Fleury also shaken up. I know it was a head injury but officials don’t have enough padding to brace for unexpected collisions with players.

[@uscustomzauto]

Blind side didn't see it coming makes that contact as dangerous as it gets hope he recovers

[@magnacircenses]

Too many refs on the ice today. Three was plenty and they were slower and smaller back then. Refs are always in the way today. Surely replays can help declutter the ice. For fights just dress a fourth (or third and fourth) and have them monitor from the penalty box and jump in if needed.

[@pretzelhunt]

Man, that helmet did its job today x10

[@KevinCantWait08]

I think it’s fair to say that being a ref in hockey is tougher than being a ref in any other sport, simply because of the fact that you have to be on skates, and constantly keep your head on a swivel. Football (not soccer) is probably a distant second, especially when you’re the ref standing right in the middle of the field catching penalties before the play, as well as the sideline judge, who might get in the way of the players running out of bounds.

[@bukelos2804]

Both were caught watching the puck, nasty unexpected collision. :/ Hope he recovers well

[@Wagbag0]

Just heard about this, knew Jens95 had it. Happy we don't see something like this more often, tough to see the arms outstretched and stiff like that.

[@ElephantseatShorts]

Just was at the bar and saw a blurb about a ref getting hit. He's doing alright I believe. I came here to see what happened

[@easternyellowjacket276]

We take so much for granted. Hope they both recover 100%.

[@codycaudill_flyfishing]

Hard collision - hope everyone is ok

[@claytonwade3570]

all the best for this ref. it’s a terrifying thing to hit your head first

[@cdnmetelhead4013]

Wow. Some mean comments here.

[@bbb462cid]

Most people are jerks

[@jmachatch6696]

Prayers going out for both men. Who is old enough to remember when players and refs did not wear helmets? 😳

[@matthewanderson9754]

Damn.... hope he's OK....

[@Topshelf87]

I hope he’s ok.

[@AnAceism]

Hope he recovers well , on a side note it should never went to 4 officials , they end up in the play way too much since the change imo .

[@LoreTunderin]

It's a tradeoff, one ref having to skate end to end will inevitably miss things they can't see from the angle they're watching the play from. With only one ref it's easier to get away with holds, hooks, slashes, butt end spearing and other dirty stick work when their back is facing the ref in the corners and behind the net. If they go back to one red then linesmen should be allowed to calls minor penalties as well.

[@AnAceism]

@@LoreTunderin I prefer the players policing themselves when it comes to the dirty little plays but that is me , we do also have video replay that could be used more .

[@cia5942]

The game is way too fast for the 3 man system. People think things get missed now….try going to 3 man on a consistent basis, your opinion will change pretty quickly

[@Jame5man]

@@AnAceismas proven by the number of fights following perfectly clean hits, the players are terrible at policing themselves

[@MD76MAC]

Surprised a ref didn't drop the gloves over that hit.

[@affegaming4722]

Did they continue or stop the game?

[@sameplayer5220]

the thumbnail killed me LMAOOOOOOOO

[@torontokid2727]

Why?

[@Madisonrvr]

I’m a little surprised the ref would be in the middle of the ice like that, not even close to the boards- anyone know if that’s typical for the ref trailing the play?

[@Nateightt]

he was in the proper position he just didn't see the player coming from his blind spot because it looks like there was a quick change.

[@michaelperkins739]

Yes, it's normal

[@michaelperkins739]

Their heads collided and then him hitting the ice. Hope all are OK.

[@stevethelegend]

I hope he is ok

[@DrawingPaintingOccasionally]

Godspeed to that referee on his recovery. Freak accident, both didn’t see each other. Bad break.

[@jowjo3799]

hopefully fleurys ok

[@Kyle____]

He was trying to tap his thumb to his fingers in sequence in the close-up. He wasn't succeeding.

[@robrick9361]

Marchand should get 5 games for this.

[@Descan26]

0:30 frig, that’s hard to watch. Definitely a TBI.

[@Evan-hockputer]

Huge hit, feel better ref

[@bobbymonteforte3705]

Kozari didn't look. Yikes. Hope he's ok.

[@johncrispo-lh4kh]

NHL is a family, just like when the Bills player almost died on the field! It's a violent sport but in the end nobody wants to see anything like that even though he's not a player! Hope he gets better soon!!

[@buffalovolleyball7349]

Guarantee the guy is 100% fine and will be reffing his next scheduled shift!

[@bdcmatt9041]

Ouch, they thwacked noggins pretty good...

[@spamdatgd6326]

I think Kozari was knocked out before falling. His head hits the ice but it's mostly his back. Fleury's head snaps back big time. Both are concussed right from the start unfortunately

[@spamdatgd6326]

Also his arms go up and out just after their heads hit a true sign of going out. If you are with it at all your arms go back to break your fall

[@hoskins666]

sums up nhl officials these days, not paying attention

[@mr.chuckleteeth4382]

STRAIGHT ROCKED SON!!!

[@GWh135]

Show some respect.

[@povertyspec9651]

This will result in a 10 game suspension for Tom Wilson.

[@jeffbraisted3512]

Maybe its past time to upgrade the helmets they wear to prevent head injuries? They do have them with mini air bags that inflate on any hard contact. But of course they cost more then regular helmets. So how much is a life worth? How many millions do these league'sNHL take in each year and they can't spend some more money on safety?

[@nevanrondeau9993]

fleury should not be blamed, unintentional collision and why would the ref be at center ice during a turnover

[@DanRaidersWarriorsSharksGiants]

Hayden Fleury should be blamed as that was so easy to avoid.

[@michaellafrance1147]

​@@DanRaidersWarriorsSharksGiantsno.. it really wasn't. I bet you can't even skate

[@derpdiggler7413]

he turns his entire body except for his head and skates right toward fleury after they were parallel a few seconds earlier, there's no way he didn't know he was there unless he was stoned, drunk, or just maliciously incompetent

[@GWh135]

@@DanRaidersWarriorsSharksGiantsNobody should be blamed. They were both puck-watching and neither realized they were heading directly into each other.

[@noontimewhale]

Looks like their helmets collided also

[@randyc0803]

One of those freak things. Here's hoping for a full recovery

[@Toast491]

And that is why you wear a helmet!

[@whatthehellisgoingon5789]

Keep yer head up

[@theoldboy70]

That was some scary 💩

[@markwolf5703]

What’s he doing in the middle of the ice ????

[@AndrewH1220]

Doing his job

[@michaelperkins739]

Do you not watch hockey?

[@johnnyDs82]

End zone?

[@Irishhaf]

Glad he's gonna be ok, but only 1 long shot of it, the league is happy to show 12 angles and closeups of players getting put in the hospital but a ref is involved nope, annoys me. (Hypocrisy of it more than anything else)

[@PierLuc111]

Reminder : hockey players are BIG. Freaky accident. But it does happen once per 1 year approx.

[@glissyman]

Karma for breaking up a chance to see a goalie fight last year

[@Rwjab22]

Daaaaaaaaaamn! What a hit. Top ten this year for sure.

[@yawanatanOTTCanada]

Where's the game misconduct for interference smh missed call by his fellow refs, terrible

[@paul5540]

Ice bone,crowd love🗿

[@HoverHP]

to be honest with u wtf was that ref doing.... u arent ever suppose to be in the dots

[@mcdob69]

🙏

[@BH-gh6qm]

embellishing like crazy

[@greathoonta3461]

For all officials in this comment section, please I cannot stress it enough: this is why we have the danger zone, stay along the boards and keep your head on a swivel because these horrible things can happen.

[@dand3530]

Why was he moving through the middle of the ice in the first place though? Attacking zone ref didn’t switch sides or anything.

[@cia5942]

Sometimes moving to the middle of the ice can give the higher official a better sight line on the play. Try and stay out of the middle but sometimes it’s inevitable

[@LeeBeast6]

Greasy team

[@kierenfarrell4574]

Fewf he cant do anymore oiler games this year

[@rileyholden-zc9ip]

😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬 i hope he is ok

[@Ranalla651]

Thanks a big body hitting a smaller man with minimal padding. Hate to see it hoping for the best ❤ officials do not get enough credit at all levels

[@XanderDDS]

did he pepsi?

[@gorzathscott4668]

What the hell is he doing in the middle of the rink you never ever go there. Fast recovery Steve.

[@MasynOsowski]

Gotta keep your head up

[@America-First2024]

Definitely a clean hit

[@kamakanani3079]

definitely you are a jack ass

[@edited1325]

@@kamakanani3079The ref could’ve certainly gotten an interference penalty there though

[@ND_Productions]

He is a little high up in the play there. I’m no pro ref but have reffed hockey at most minor levels. You can see the other ref in the bottom right half wall as the play is being transitioned up . Kozari should probably be just behind the other linesman near TB bench. Clearly this was a freak accident and Fleury just wasn’t expecting him there. At the end of the day this is the NHL, guys are skating 20+ mph.. and mistakes happen. Hopefully his injury is nothing major.

[@MrPapasvhilly]

Scott Stevens would be proud.....and Dennis Wideman 🤣😂

[@fine-biscuit2715]

Damn, that’s crazy lil bro 😮 .

[@william8654]

To think that refs used to not wear helmets..he would be dead now!

[@danski6694]

Ahh fuck. Get well soon!

[@joeparker2952]

Whata fluke of an accident Wrong place at the wrong time :/

[@poolside123canadian7]

Ooh jeez that’s scary to watch. Cringe worthy. Like honestly. Hope he’s ok.

[@user-ss8wz3wd7d]

So helpful to have a young lady--not some guy who actually played in the NHL or reffed NHL games--explaining what happened so clearly and gently and nicely.

[@Chris_Ireland]

Aby refs here? Why was he skating in the middle of the ice like that?

[@derpdiggler7413]

he's shady, probably trying to injure a player or disrupt the game, maybe score some worker's comp along the way

[@justjohnny420]

So he could see the entire play in front of him and with the amount of open ice he had it looked pretty safe, until it wasn't 😅

[@Chris_Ireland]

@justjohnny420 but he has to know there's a D man behind him. I guess obviously not but I'd think he'd make sure he's behind the play and do this at the blue line not centre ice. Does anyone know if he's a veteran ref?

[@tankspank9418]

@@derpdiggler7413 you’re a chode sucker for sure. He’s coming into the middle of the ice anticipating that the puck was possibly going to the bench side of the ice. When the outlet goes the way it does he circles back to his side of the ice. Guy has a 1000 plus games and finals experience. Think he might know what he’s doing.

[@michaelperkins739]

@@derpdiggler7413 You're a fool.