NHL commentator Rob Ray was struck in the face during the first quarter (Image: MSG)
NHL commentator Rob Ray could not stop himself from swearing on live TV after taking a puck to the face during the Buffalo Sabres’ victory over the New York Rangers.
A barn-storming display from the Sabres saw them score five goals in the first quarter on their way to an 8-2 triumph. However, the match was somewhat overshadowed by a frightening incident which left Ray bloodied and bruised.
With the Sabres leading by four goals near the end of the opening quarter, Rangers defenseman Will Borgen smashed the puck over the advertising boards and straight into the broadcast area.
The impact smashed Ray’s glasses and left him needing medical treatment (Image: MSG)
It left Ray, a former NHL player who spent most of his career with the Sabres, with no time to dodge out of the way. He is no stranger to big hits from his playing days but was clearly not expecting the puck to leave the ice.
It ended up hitting him in the face at speed, prompting an X-rated outburst which turned the air blue. Reacting with shock and pain in equal measure, Ray screamed: “Argh, f***!”
He was quickly checked over by medics, with the impact breaking his glasses and leaving a nasty gash near his nose and left eye.
The incident did not stop Ray from returning to the commentary booth after having a few stitches to close the wound. He also revealed that he was left with a huge lump on his head, resembling a ‘golf ball’ in both size and shape.
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“I got a couple little stitches,” he told his commentary partner Dan Dunleavy later in the game. “Right where the golf ball is, right here. That’s not normal.”
It was not the first time that Ray had been injured by a puck, having been involved in a similar incident last year. The 56-year-old, who was renowned for his fighting spirit as a player, kept commentating on that game while holding a bandage over the cut.
A month later, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was hit in the face with a puck while coaching for the New Jersey Devils and was forced to leave the bench area.
Comparing his ordeal to that of Ray, Ruff later said: “Rob’s puck hit him at approximately 15 miles per hour. The one that hit me, hit me at 100. And here’s the difference, when the puck hits Rob’s head, it breaks. When it hits mine, it just absorbs it.”