(Warning: Video is difficult to watch.)
Brian McGrattan is a bit of an NHL journeyman who is currently riding the bus for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, minor league affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. McGrattan, who primarily relies on his size and physicality (he’s 6-foot-4, 235 pounds) to earn paychecks, has a very lengthy fighting history as a pro, but he may have been involved in the scariest one of his career on Tuesday night.
During the second period of the Gulls’ matchup against the San Antonio Rampage, McGrattan dropped the gloves with Daniel Maggio. By the end of the bout, McGrattan was lying face down and unconscious. Maggio caught the Gulls enforcer square in the face with a haymaker, knocking him out cold and sending him crashing extremely hard to the ice below. It was incredibly difficult to watch.
After laying motionless on the playing surface for an uncomfortable amount of time — while fans kept cheering for an uncomfortable amount of time — McGrattan was stretchered off the ice. Thankfully, some good news was reported shortly thereafter.
INJURY UPDATE: Brian McGrattan is conscious, alert and has full movement.
— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) January 20, 2016
Hopefully McGrattan makes a full and speedy recovery. Regardless of your stance on fighting in hockey, it’s always tough to watch something like this go down.
