Referee Steve Kozari Stretchered Off Ice After A Scary Collision With Hayden Fleury

[@Jens95]

Video with one replay angle has been uploaded. My apologies. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXilZqSojN6NgpYsi=UnFFW2YUxvyoScXQ -Alyssa Hope

[@ripelcannon]

Quality > Quantity

[@jessewahwah]

Thanks for the actual clip. Appreciated.

[@KylePakenham3620]

all good lol, keep up the good work!

[@jruler44]

I was at this game today. He took quite a big hit. Wishing him the best with a speedy recovery. Prayers for him 🙏

[@charge416]

Those rare moments when the entire arena abruptly goes dead silent, like all the air and life in the building was sucked out, such a mix of awe and anxiety

[@JessyDarko]

I was there and this is an accurate description of what happened.

[@LaKellita1]

Dead silence, except for the music

[@ren3171]

Right at 0:11 it goes from noise to silent.

[@UrPullinOrUrFoolin]

A lot of complaining on this post I’d like to see everyone go try to be a NHL referee give the man the respect he deserves

[@jmachatch6696]

Prayers right now for the man.

[@chrisd2p2]

Its surprising it doesnt happen more often. Saya alot about how good of skaters and athletes refs need to be.

[@Meeces55]

They are giving them the exact respect that they deserve

[@seventen7232]

Ya hate to see someone get injured! Was a hard hit with the ice for both. I have had a couple hard head hits on the ice. Took 3 years to get right.

[@thinkingjack]

That ref won’t let you see his nuts so no need to white knight. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@mikelow4374]

respect to both teams for coming off the benches like that.. First time I've ever seen in 40 years of watching nhl

[@blank-dr2kx]

Yea agree that’s why I love this sport the respect levels and shows of humanity are endless love the game!

[@768lbman]

Shoutout to the mascot for distracting the kids from the scene on the ice.

[@jii-ro7083]

Was about to say this. Great job from the mascot

[@McPasta56]

good ole IceBurgh

[@wildcatmateo]

underrated comment.

[@Leafsdude_]

The one and only thing that the NHL does better than any other league in any other sport in the world is medical response. So many individuals on the ice should no longer be with us numerous times over through the years and yet still only one has. That's impressive and worth celebrating.

[@AJEDDY97]

And it's *IMMEDIATE* medical response, too. Like, it is SO fast, and that's why we're so lucky that these guys are still with us.

[@Leafsdude_]

@@AJEDDY97 Yup. It's just not as fast in so many other leagues. I don't doubt for a second that guys like Cherepanov, Zholtok, maybe even Johnson might still be here if their incidents happened in the NHL.

[@AIGeneratedUser]

I think the nature of the nhl requires the best of the best for immediate response situations and it seems they have them

[@gamersens2363]

I believe the NHL requires paramedics in the building for the entire game for severe injuries just like this. But I’m not 100% sure.

[@dekdawg21]

​@@gamersens2363think you're right, wasn't there an issue within the past year where a game was canceled or delayed because they didn't have emts?

[@joelzand3594]

Great respect from both teams to come off the bench and salute Kozari as he left the ice.

[@blank-dr2kx]

Can we just put the collision to one side for a moment and just acknowledge how classy the game is that we all love. A great show of respect from both teams, with out refs the game would cease to run. We all know officiating in any sport is tough but to be on the ice with these guys at full speed and flying pucks (and fists!)

[@matthewanderson9754]

Can we also give a thumbs up for the EMS and trainers for this instant reactions...

[@Wayf4rer]

Broadcast showed Kozari was skating through the neutral zone and hit heads with Fleury. Kozari got knocked out and Fleury got cut.

[@derpdiggler7413]

officials are supposed to have awareness, his incompetence is a liability

[@RoughRaiders13]

Oh stfu. I guess according to you there should never be a car accident in the world either. Moron........ You're the only liability here​@@derpdiggler7413

[@Wayf4rer]

@@derpdiggler7413 Alright don't be dramatic, hockey is a fast game and guys get hurt all the time.

[@derpdiggler7413]

@@Wayf4rer which is why his incompetence is a liability, sorry if that concept triggers you please don't get hysterical.

[@derpdiggler7413]

@@Wayf4rer these are (supposed to be) professionals, not the JV team

[@theturtlechasingthedragon2885]

I’m not a very big Crosby fan, but seeing his reaction and immediately jumped out to help trainer get there faster was awesome

[@KevinCantWait08]

Very nice of players from both teams to come out like that, as he’s being taken out on the stretcher.❤️

[@orlandopadilla2464]

It's a dangerous sport. Not just for the hockey players. But also the officials. Big strong guys skating all over the ice. I remember watching games. Just amazing how everyone is able to skate. But sometimes you have times like this. Where a simple collision happens

[@ronpeacock9939]

T's and P's to Steve. We forget just how vulnerable the officials on the ice really are.

[@MichaelCowie-q3c]

I hope sports fans from every sports category actually watch this video and start showing more compassion for referees at games afterwards! Referees have a very difficult job and at the end of the day, they are also human. They make agreeable and disagreeable calls from time-to-time, but enough with the “bullshit” or “ref you suck” chants!! The fans may think it’s all fun and games but for the referee and his relatives-it definitely isn’t! Let’s give referees of all sports the respect they rightfully deserve, from here on in!!

[@christopherworks400]

one of the few time the whole stadium actually carried about what happened to the ref.

[@blank-dr2kx]

Not really.

[@tonychen3368]

This happened so fast that nobody knows what exactly happened behind the play, Hayden’s cut and the referee is out cold, this is beyond scary to me 😱 a very unfortunate accident.

[@kennethtuck-e6e]

both teams showing respect for this referee ,,,,,this was the best video of sportsmanship ever

[@Konradical007]

Can’t even see what happened

[@ripelcannon]

If the video was 2 minutes longer it would have showed exactly what happened. I'm sure someone else will have the full scene, she probably just wanted to get it you asap

[@ripelcannon]

​@Jens95 that's not true. I watched the replay during the live game.

[@ripelcannon]

Alyssa deleting her comment because it makes the channel look bad.. sheesh. Oh well, Sportsnet probably will have the better video up soon.

[@tylerlangford740]

They took a while to show what happened. Hopefully someone uploads a longer video. I accidentally hit the back button instead of rewind and lost it.

[@Ravetar101]

for real this is a terrible upload lol

[@shinradespairunit7596]

I was at this game. This was genuinely one of the most horrifying things I’ve witnessed

[@ink3d_ff]

Sick video, didn’t even show the collision

[@robertmcnearny9222]

Is there any actual video of the collision?

[@markhoward3803]

Hockey fans are the best!!!! Thank you for standing and clapping when the ref started moving his arms!! See you at the Stanley Cup Finals!!!!

[@AutumnFalls89]

Is there any footage of the hit? I haven't actually seen what happened to the poor ref.

[@WeAreLight05]

PIT trainer comes out immediately before the ref a even get there. Goes straight to the ref on the ice. Mainly b/c they know he has no padding like the hockey player. Credit.

[@coltsfan69]

Any updates on his condition?

[@OutOnTheTiles]

Glad he’s ok.

[@mexman000]

Any update ?

[@affegaming4722]

Did the game Finnish with just 1 official and 2 linesmen or did they stop it?

[@tommarks3726]

I saw a father and young daughter wearing Charlestown Chiefs Hockey jerseys in front row. Greatest hockey movie ever and I have my Chiefs jersey in blue as well. lol. I'm sorry I just thought that was funny to see that. I hope the official will be ok. Best sport ever. I was actually watching this game on tv but had to leave and missed the hit. @1:22 appx.

[@regularguy3665]

When someone is face down motionless like that it’s scary no matter who it is

[@JessyDarko]

I was at this game and it was tense. This happened so fast, but it felt like it was in slow motion.

[@Broke_Banana]

Steve Kozaris is my uncle

[@Broke_Banana]

Hope your ok❤

[@nycoolj3]

And yo mama is a stripper

[@СергейГлущенко-к5ш]

Дяде Степе здоровья.

[@mr.chuckleteeth4382]

Clean hit 💥

[@IsraellDFend]

Of course they don’t show the actual incident 🤦‍♂️

[@mathewdymski7905]

They should have showed him getting laid out on repeat

[@laurafox2883]

Hopefully both injured recover completely!

[@ripelcannon]

That was a fast upload

[@McPasta56]

right.. didn’t even get the replay

[@siegzeon1071]

Hope he's alright 🙏

[@ssg558]

I read that he's in the hospital for observation, but is moving all extremities and should make a full recovery

[@Bell2323]

Wow. Hope he's okay. Kinda similar to the Damar Hamlin incident, where the camera coverage stayed far away to give him his privacy as they worked on him.

[@jordanchilds5876]

Alot of class shown by both teams to go on the ice and make sure Kozari was ok

[@justinhunt8409]

God damn that was a car wreck

[@randynBroncos]

Tampa bay just seems to not watch where they are going. The other day Stamkos ran into their own player and their teammate went after the Canadiens defenseman thinking it was him in the Montreal game

[@gidzmobug2323]

I see that trainers from both sides went out. Usually it's the home team who takes care of the officials. Hope that the ref is all right.

[@Peezster]

No replay. Fucking new NHL.

[@lukewright9145]

How is he doing? We were watching the game, though situation

[@derpdiggler7413]

There's probably a dozen cameras in there at minimum but they somehow didn't catch how the collision actually occurred It's so weird, he's not in the middle of the ice and has no reason to be then suddenly is laid out. EDIT: Kozari turns his entire body and keeps his head turned way knowing that Fleury was on his right, and then proceeds to skate right into him while refusing the basic human instinct to look in the direction he is skating. Just because he got the worst of the collision doesn't men he isn't fully responsible.

[@ripelcannon]

Yes they did, she just didn't show it in this clip.

[@derpdiggler7413]

@@ripelcannon dude had no reason to be in the middle of the ice, tf was he thinking?

[@ripelcannon]

I mean, I'm no NHL ref, but I have to assume they need to keep themselves in a position to see as much of the ice as possible. It was blindside, by both player and ref. High speed, both paying attention to the puck, not the direction they're going in. Just a tragic accident.

[@Leviweyhrich]

They 100% caught it

[@derpdiggler7413]

@@ripelcannonthere are two other officials, so he needs to be in a position where he get's blind-sided because he needs to see as much of the ice as possible? Sounds like he just sucks at his job and was somewhere he didn't need to be.

[@hutch1111111]

If I can hazard a guess, the home team is also responsible to provide medical assistance to the officials?

[@ll7868]

Every NHL building has an emergency medical facility and staff as well as ambulances standing by in case of emergency surgery. Home team is also responsible for providing the emergency goalie to the visiting team if they lose both to injury in the same game.

[@SeanTopham-m8p]

Why was the ref in center ice tho? Usually refs are on the side

[@gothard5]

Are there two different players named Fleury? This doesn’t seem like the Fleury I was thinking of.

[@JBSampson88]

There are a couple, though one is still spending time in the AHL more often than not

[@damienchance3153]

Dam..no replay ???

[@davidibarra2471]

Not only the medical part is better than other sports but also the entertainment factor. It's faster paced it's also physical and they let them fight. Don't get me started on how boring baseball is. All the other sports are so slow compared to hockey

[@jopodude]

SHOW. THE. REPLAY. fucks sake

[@melwilson4171]

9 years ago he got a puck to the face in Boston.

[@HippieP629]

Damn =( I really hope he is or will be ok

[@markh4545454]

If the player was down that long that mustve been a hard collision.

[@wheelchairdynamo8618]

That’s the ref

[@markh4545454]

Yeah no shit. The player who hit him was down for a few minutes aswell. So of the player who wears protective gear is down that long, the refs got it a lot worse

[@BaconNationChannel]

Nobody was bracing for the hit. You're going to be winded at the very least after that.

[@MarkGarber-mt8yf]

Why is a referee in the middle of the ice surface?

[@denisevanbeveren8224]

Really wish we could have seen the hidden that one

[@JasonPea-u4u]

That's my dad... He's okay. Just a bit shaky

[@povertyspec9651]

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

[@michaelgipson33]

He shouldn’t be in the middle of the ice. Hate to see him hurt though

[@colleenmacbride7360]

I was at the game very scary to watch

[@seagullpoet]

I always liked knowing - who the refs are 😛 for decades !

[@zero439]

Isn’t that why refs are suppose to stay on the side instead of in the way center ice, this isn’t nfl where 5hey do it on the regular

[@brysonrody5034]

No refs are supposed to just stay to the side they often rotate from side to side when the official closest to the play has to switch sides to avoid the play or get a better angle and you’re right this isn’t the nfl the officials in the NHL are athletes and they train as such this was just an unfortunate accident on both parts

[@GrahamB]

It really does separate hockey from the other pro sports, the decency webs mentality from the players . They all respect the officials and it shows the class that hockey players/teams have. Other major sports in the US would do well to watch and learn from

[@davidellis8052]

Hockey players off the bench- class!

[@karrylahaye1543]

Is he ok

[@ripelcannon]

He was moving his extremities as he was being stretchered off the ice. Time will tell for sure

[@derpdiggler7413]

he'll be back to swearing on hot-mics and making bs calls for bribes in no time

[@ripelcannon]

​@derpdiggler7413 youre so miserable, I feel bad for people who have to actually deal with you in real life.

[@brysonrody5034]

@@derpdiggler7413no seriously I’m gonna say it again please for the love of god do everyone a favor and play a drinking game but use bleach

[@Conada1002]

The refs have no friggin business being in the middle of the ice. There job is to stay near and around the boards. Plain n simple.

[@RiccoNapoleon]

They till player's to keep their head up why doesn't the refs go by the same rule

[@Leafsdude_]

Because if they do and they miss a tripping or holding penalty, the arena goes crazy.

[@JerryOrbachFan]

Refs and linesmen aren't exactly popular but no decent person wants to see this happen..

[@arlenebuckius2011]

Yes I do agree that they do

[@CTB7777777]

Karma for the 2019 finals game 5 no call on the blatant trip, Kelly sutherlands got it comin next! 🤞🖕

[@nose_fart]

holy shit dude 😂

[@collinmccarthy3825]

I was at this game

[@irvinepoker3187]

so quiet.......lol remember when havlat got kronwalled ..havlat waking up to that crazy music playing lol wonder what was going though his head lmao

[@hotff50]

So I ref hockey, at a much lower level of course, high school... but I'm sure it's the same at most levels. As a ref you should NEVER be skating at center ice during the game other than dropping the puck. We are taught to skate between the face off dots and boards. When you don't, this is what can happen.

[@sizzlepopbacon7406]

Idk what system yall use where you play but the system they use in the NHL is quite different than in minor leagues. In Alberta we've only just started working with 4 officials for bantam AAA and above. The biggest difference with that, I'm sure you know is that the high referee tends to hang out at or just toward the middle of the ice from the offside dot, as they must be ready to switch the side of the ice they are on to counter their other referee escaping behind the net. From what it looks like to me, the high ref that got hit appeared to be on the board side, and thus had to cross to counter his partner whether the partner stayed or not. Also not helping his situation is that the puck changed possession just before the hit, meaning the back ref needed to pivot, further bringing him into the middle and blinding him to the player behind him. From how we run our 4 official crews out here even up to Mig AAA, Junior B, and AJHL, he didn't really do anything out of the ordinary for the system. Just wrong place wrong time. I do think the system itself deserves looking at, especially at NHL level since the low ref escapes behind the net WAY more often than I was ever taught to tho.

[@wolfmauler]

Did anyone see what happened? 😳

[@humbertsmith8864]

The official was also given a game misconduct...crazy

[@tonychen3368]

What?! He got hit hard!

[@humbertsmith8864]

@@tonychen3368 and 2 minutes for interference...just to add insult to injury

[@DKLewDropsDKLewDrops]

😂😂

[@derpdiggler7413]

Good he deserves it, he knew Fleury was to his right and then skates right toward him with his head turned. He literally resisted the instinct to glance in the direction he was skating because he knew he could stage a "negligent collision" and would be treated like the victim for taking the most damage due to having less pads, it's straight up sociopathic. Here's Kozari having a little power trip slip out on hot-mic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZpK3p2mirLd2gLM He is incompetent, shady, and threat to player safety and needs to be fired

[@harrisonsmith5983]

​@@derpdiggler7413 tell me you have never played hockey without telling me you never played hockey

[@adamhenry5791]

His head actually fell off..

[@samsahly5274]

Penguins checking on their teammate

[@oldskool1979]

Blind ref... what else is new....

[@RippenSXS]

You didn't even show the fuckin hit

[@davidedelman4536]

Holy crap

[@davesracingchannel9261]

Can we please get a better video lol

[@MrProccy]

yuuppp fencing position = auto stretcher

[@prettybabyd0lls]

Haydn *

[@gibbonsgomez4434]

10 min game misconduct 🙅‍♂️

[@luvsilly60]

Rough.

[@mitchnoalll]

As much as I hate on refs, being an nhl ref is the hardest officiating job in professional sports. If you make a bad call, everyone's on you. You do a good job you did what your paid for. Hope he is going to be okay. Did not look good

[@wyattandrew7838]

Someone should have kept there head up lol

[@susanwahl6322]

I think they should have a replacement referee

[@dinoboy16]

My parents know the aunt and uncle of the player who got hit

[@nose_fart]

ok

[@marcinmyk3973]

Good sport

[@YesHiThereHello]

Every player that left the bench that wasn’t supposed to be on the ice should have been given a penalty.

[@angiepellar6441]

🙏

[@kaitlyndent9113]

🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@glenngilsborg5647]

What the hell was the Tampa player looking at? He's skating forward in the direction towards the referee with lots of time to change his direction. What the hell was he looking at going forward? Shouldn't be surprised. It's Tampa Bay. They do this stuff all the time. Only difference is it's usually two other teams.

[@FreidaHouston-r7m]

Greenfelder Villages

[@RusselMumm-o9n]

Dillon Shoal

[@Tombcleaner]

The facts is what the hell he was doing in the middle of the ice? I hope he's ok now