Sunday’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League contest between the Moncton Wildcats and Rimouski Oceanic got a bit heated following an absolutely monstrous hit laid on Rimouski forward Tyler Boland by Moncton’s Zachary Malatesta, and it was a scene reminiscent of old-time hockey.
Malatesta lined up Boland and delivered a crushing (yet clean) check along the boards in Moncton’s offensive zone, with the violent collision sending the 19-year-old forward crashing hard into the wall and down to the ice. As big hits often do, the check sparked a full line brawl between the two teams that resulted in several guys being sent to the penalty box.
Boland was shaken up after the hit and will reportedly miss seven to 10 days of action as a result. He certainly didn’t look great after the huge impact, as he had some trouble getting to (and staying on) his feet following the play and was immediately sent to the locker room to be evaluated.
Here’s another look at the massive hit:
That sure is one heck of a violent collision. Hopefully Boland can bounce back and make a full recovery but, man, I’m sure he’s not feeling too great on this fine Monday.
(Via Robert Soderlind)
