NHL referee Chris Rooney received stitches above his eye after taking an inadvertent stick to the face during Game 7 of the Toronto Maple Leafs-Florida Panthers series.
Early in the second period Rooney was in the corner near Florida defenseman Niko Mikkola and Toronto right winger Mitch Marner when Mikkola's stick hit him in the face. Rooney immediately clutched at his face and fell to the ice.
Rooney was eventually helped off the ice with a towel over his face and was replaced by another referee.
Early in the third period TNT's Jackie Redmond reported that Rooney had received stitches, but emphasized that they were above the eye.
Considering Rooney is a hockey guy, he's probably most annoyed that he had to miss a shift. Hopefully he makes a speedy recovery and is able to get back out on the ice soon.
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Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.
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