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In a cruel twist, Booth elbowed in face Print
Southeast
Written by Brett Friedlander   
Friday, March 26, 2010 05:18
Southeast Division notebook:

Thursday afternoon, the executive board of NHL Players Association voted to accept a temporary new rule that bans hits to the head against unsuspecting players. The decision, which took effect immediately, could very easily be called the David Booth rule, since it was at least partially inspired by a blindside hit on the Florida forward by Philadelphia’s Mike Richards on Oct. 24. Booth suffered a severe concussion on the play and missed 45 games.

In a cruel twist of fate, it’s possible that the first incident covered by the new rule could come as the result of another hit on Booth.

This time, the Panthers star was sent to a Montreal hospital after taking an elbow from Canadiens defenseman Jaroslav Spacek in the jaw about a minute into the second period of Florida’s 4-1 loss at the Bell Center [video below].

Booth, who had scored four goals in his previous four games, laid motionless, bleeding on the ice for several moments before medical attention arrived. It is not known whether or not he lost consciousness.David Booth

He was eventually helped off the ice by teammates and taken to a Montreal hospital for what is being called “precautionary reasons.”

According top Panthers’ spokesman Justin Copertino, Booth was examined by Canadiens’ team doctor Dr. David Multer before leaving the arena. He was described as being “alert” and “coherent.”

Unlike the hit from Richards, several of Booth’s teammates said that Thursday’s collision was clean. Spacek was not penalized by game officials.

That didn’t make it any less painful for either Booth or his teammates, one of which called this latest incident the kind of déjà vu you don’t want to see.

“It’s tough,” Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “You never want to see a friend of yours lay on the ice like that. It’s an unfortunate situation for him just because of the injury he sustained earlier this year.”

Booth, a 25-year-old left wing, has just eight goals and eight assists in 27 games this season after compiling career-high totals of 31 goals and 60 points last year for Florida.



ATLANTA

Because of injuries to Todd White (upper body), Slava Kozolv (head), Chris Thorburn (back) and Evander Kane (foot), the Thashers dressed just 11 forwards and seven defensemen – including 48-year-old Chris Chelios – for Thursday’s game against lowly Toronto. The unusual alignment helped keep the score down, but the lack of offensive punch came back to haunt Atlanta, which lost 2-1 in overtime while taking only 20 shots. … Even with the OTL, Atlanta moved to within a point of Boston for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. … Second-year D Zach Bogosian scored only his second goal since Nov. 15 on Thursday, but it was a significant one. His 10th of the season tied Bogosian with Yannick Tremblay for the franchise record for goals in a season by a blueliner. … In an effort to boost attendance, the Thrashers offered special $25 lower level tickets and $10 upper level seats for both games this week – losses to the Bruins and Maple Leafs.

CAROLINA

Washington may have the best record in the NHL, but that doesn’t seem to matter to the Hurricanes, who earned their second straight win against the Capitals on Thursday. Jamie McBain, Bryan Rodney and John Carlson all put the puck in the net for Carolina, making them the first three rookie defensemen to score goals in the same game since a March 8, 1947 game between Toronto and Chicago. … McBain now has points in five of his first six NHL games. … The news this week wasn’t all good for the Hurricanes, though. In what has become a recurring theme for the season, veteran forward Tuomo Ruutu underwent season-ending surgery to repair on a right shoulder originally injured during a fight with Colorado’s Darcy Tucker early in the season. Ruutu had 14 goals and 21 assists in 54 goals and will be sidelined for 4-5 months. … Rookie defenseman Drayson Bowman was recalled from Albany of the American Hockey League, giving them eight players on their current roster who have played in the AHL this season.

TAMPA BAY

The Lightning’s 5-3 victory at Boston on Thursday was the 500th in franchise history. It also featured a pair of goals by rising star Steven Stamkos, who is now tied for the league lead with 45. It proved to be a costly win, however, as three players left the ice with injuries during the game. D David Hale left with a lower-body injury in the first period, D Kurtis Foster suffered an upper-body injury in the second and didn’t return, while RW Steve Downie limped off the ice in the third period after a knee-to-knee hit with Bruins D Dennis Wideman. … The win halted a slide in which Tampa Bay had scored two or fewer goals in five straight games and three or fewer in its last eight. … In an effort to get back into a 4-2 game early in the third period, coach Rick Tocchet pulled G Antero Nittymaki to gain a two-man advantage on a power play. The strategy didn’t pay off with a goal for the Lightning, but it didn’t cost them one, either.

WASHINGTON

G Jose Theodore was in net for the Capitals’ 4-3 overtime victory against defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh on Wednesday, improving his record to 17-0-2 in his last 19 games. It’s the longest unbeaten streak without a regulation loss in franchise history and the best by any NHL goalie in the past 10 seasons. … F Brooks Laich had his consecutive-game streak of 257 come to an end against the Penguins after being hit in the face with a puck during practice a day earlier. He should be back in the lineup by this weekend. … Although the Capitals lost in overtime to Carolina on Thursday, the point gave them a franchise-record 109 for the season. … Alexander Semin scored his 23rd goal in 29 career games against the Hurricanes in the game. … Detectives from Florida interviewed three Washington players this week in the case of a Virginia chiropractor with ties to the team who was arrested recently for alleged steroid dealings. Eric Fehr, Matt Bradley and Shaone Morrisonn have not been implicated in the case. … Published reports from Washington indicated that Capitals’ owner Ted Leonsis has reached an agreement to buy the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the Verizon Center for about $170 million.

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