The Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins game was halted for an extended period of time on Saturday after a scary incident involving one of the game’s officials.
With 13:49 remaining in the third period, referee Steve Kozari and Lightning defenseman Haydn Fleury collided into each other at center ice. While Fleury was slow to get up, Kozari laid motionless on the ice as players from both teams urgently called for trainers to come onto the ice.
Per ESPN’s live coverage of the game, Kozari was knocked unconscious by the blow and subsequent fall.
“It was bad,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said postgame. “Didn’t look good. Obviously, wish Steve the best. Hopefully, he’s all right. But I think anytime something like that happens, and you’ve been a part of games like that, you just try to regroup as fast as you can. They probably did a better job of that than we did.”
Kozari was eventually placed onto a stretcher and wheeled off the ice by medical personnel including Pittsburgh paramedics. Players gathered around the fallen referee and stick-tapped him as he departed.
The referee gave a thumbs up the crowd and grabbed the hand of linesman Kyle Flemington on his way off. He was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital.
The rest of the game continued with just three officials and the Penguins came out on top of the Lightning 5-4. Michael Bunting scored the game-winning goal, moving the Penguins into playoff position.
After the action concluded, the NHL released a statement on Kozari’s health status.
NHL statement on Referee Steve Kozari. pic.twitter.com/4PffGshUzf
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 6, 2024
“Referee Steve Kozari was transported to UPMC Mercy hospital for precautionary reasons after a collision with Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Haydn Fleury in the third period of the Penguins-Lightning game this afternoon,” the statement reads. “Kozari is conscious and alert, has the use of all of his extremities and is expected to make a full recovery.”
Per the NHL, Kozari is a veteran referee, officiating 1,151 regular-season games and 136 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He’s also been used in four different Stanley Cup Finals. Kozari first joined the NHL Officials Association in 2003 and was promoted to a full-time member during the summer of 2007.
As for Fleury, the Lightning defenseman did not return to the game.
“That was tough to watch,” Cooper said. “Between that one and Sergachev, we’ve had some tough instances to see that happen. Fleurs, I went in the locker room during the pause and, naturally, he was a little shook up. It was just one of those plays that is kind of a freak accident but, hopefully, both guys will be okay.”
