HERSHEY, PA — Aliaksei Protas is a tough person, but his mettle was tested on New Year’s Day.
As he raced for a loose puck, Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub knocked the 6-foot-6 forward off balance, sending Protas skates-first into the Canadian Tire Centre end boards.
The scary incident saw the 25-year-old winger lying on the ice with his hands over his face, briefly unable to move, as head athletic trainer Jason Serbus raced onto the ice to check on him.
About 500 miles south in Hershey, Ilya Protas, Aliaksei’s 19-year-old younger brother, watched in horror.
“I was nervous,” Ilya told RMNB.
After a minute or so on the ice, Aliaksei was thankfully able to get himself up and gingerly make his way down to the locker room with 10:44 remaining in the first period.
“Injuries, it’s tough,” Ilya said. “You want to stay healthy all year long. I was obviously nervous with him.”
What happened next, though, spoke to Aliaksei’s fortitude. He returned to the Capitals bench at the end of the period and took a shift on the ice after just 10 minutes and 14 seconds of game time elapsed.
In the third period, Aliaksei put the Capitals in a prime position to earn at least a standings point after tying the game 3-3 with 4:07 remaining in regulation. Aliaksei took a centering feed from Justin Sourdif in the slot and beat Senators goaltender Leevi Meriläinen over the glove with a wrist shot. The goal was Big Pro’s 16th of the season.
The Capitals, however, surrendered a tally shortly after to Fabian Zetterlund with 2:22 on the clock, giving the Senators a 4-3 win.
“He’s just doing his job out there,” Ilya said. “He came back, scored a goal, and you play sometimes when you got little like things in your body, and you get banged up, and during the game you got that adrenaline, and it’s not that bad. But after that, you start feeling a little bit worse.”
Since that 4-3 loss to the Senators, Aliaksei has not played a single game as Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery termed him out due to a lower-body injury. He was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, so the team could recall Brett Leason from the Hershey Bears.
“He was fine during the game, and after that, he started feeling a little worse,” Ilya said. “I think it’s not that terrible.”
Aliaksei has missed the team’s last three games total, though he could return Friday in Chicago or Sunday in Nashville, as the team hosts its annual Mentors’ Trip.
What will endure is that Aliaksei’s off the floor, on the board-like moment exhibited the type of toughness and strength it takes to be an NHL player to his younger brother, who currently is tied for Hershey’s team lead in points (25) with fellow Bears prospect Andrew Cristall. Both Protas brothers worked out together in Belarus over the summer, and Aliaksei served as Ilya’s coach.
“Like, I get it through all my life,” Ilya said. “Since I, like, remember myself, I’ve always looked up to him. I know he’s like that, and that’s another example. He just done a lot for me. Obviously, I look in everything at him and try to compare myself to him. Just another great example.”
