The New Jersey Devils offered a nice show of solidarity for their teammate after a big hit from Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson forced him to leave the game on the stretcher.
The Devils and Capitals were only two minutes and change into their game on Saturday when Wilson chased after the puck on the forecheck deep in the Devils’ zone. Moore managed to get the puck away, but Wilson was already honing in on him with a hit into the numbers.
The hit wasn’t illegal, and it didn’t incur a penalty. But Moore fell limply to the ice immediately and remained there, nearly motionless, as trainers and emergency medical personnel rushed to his aid. The entire arena went silent, with one Devils broadcaster describing it as quiet as he’d ever seen it.
Even Wilson looked concerned.
Devils players hung around and helped load their fallen teammate into a stretcher and off the ice in a touching moment.
You’d expect Wilson to answer with a fight, but the first fight immediately after was between Capitals forward Brett Connolly and Devils winger Devante Smith-Pelly. So this might get ugly.
Some good news on Moore came out after the Devils’ 6-2 loss, while Wilson defended his hit to the media.
Head Coach John Hynes updated the media that Moore will be released from the hospital this afternoon. https://t.co/fmI596aDpQ
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) December 31, 2016
Caps' Tom Wilson on his hit on John Moore, which resulted in Moore going to the hospital: pic.twitter.com/LJ77AZFAM1
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) December 31, 2016