The teams “SKA-Neva” and “Dynamo” from St. Petersburg simply could not easily get involved in the new season of the VHL. Despite the fact that both clubs had to play the first match in the regular season, the meeting promised to be hot.

And the clubs did not let the audience down: the hockey players played each episode to the end and did not miss the opportunity to hold a power reception. However, already in the second period, the fans did not have a trace of joy left – the forward of the SKA system, Kirill Tankov, was pushed into the side at speed. The player collapsed on the ice and lay motionless. Medics carried the hockey player on a stretcher, he was later taken to the hospital.

Tankov allegedly has a fracture of the fifth cervical vertebra, and the defender who pushed the striker is accused of dirty and unsportsmanlike behavior.

terrible fall

A terrible episode occurred in the fifth minute of the second period. Forward of the Army Tanks at speed entered the attack zone and began to squeeze out the defender of the hosts Artyom Maltsev with his body. However, the striker failed to get out on the gate and push the opponent back. Maltsev shot down the attack in the corner of the site, where the accident occurred.

Tankov decided to slow down at the side, but he did it a little awkwardly: a careful study of the episode shows that after braking, the striker’s legs began to part, he lost his balance. Tankov was still guarded by Maltsev, who pushed the opponent back with one hand to prevent him from getting out on the gate, but this led to a terrible tragedy. Maltsev pushed Tankov, who was already losing his balance, and the striker flew headfirst into the side.

In dynamics, the episode is terrifying: the players were at high speed and the impact on the protective barrier turned out to be very strong. Tankov himself fell on the ice after the collision and stopped moving. For the forward of the SKA system, it became scary for all viewers. The medical staff did not panic and worked out clearly: the doctors immediately ran out to the site and placed Tankov on a stretcher. The forward was still motionless, so the doctors had no time to waste: he was promptly taken off the ice and sent to the hospital.

The judges did not immediately make a decision on this episode. It took them several minutes to study the replay of the moment. As a result, after a long meeting, the referee sent Maltsev to the locker room, removing him until the end of the game. The match itself ended with the victory of Dynamo – 4: 0, however, the audience did not particularly follow hockey, but waited for at least some news about Tankov’s state of health.

At a press conference, the head coach of the SKA Neva team, Alexander Titov, said that he did not yet know the details. He also stressed that Maltsev deliberately pushed Tankov into the side.

– An alarming situation. Let’s hope everything works out. The player was taken to the hospital for examination, put a splint on his neck. He hit his head on the board, there was a push from the side of the Dynamo player. We did not watch the video, but the push was visible from the bench. The judges watched the episode for a reason. I hope that this injury will not be terrible and severe, ”Titov said at a press conference.

Commented on the situation and Roman Rotenberg, who called the terrible episode unsportsmanlike.

– We wish him good health. Kirill Tankov is the most important player in our team. He is one of the brightest forwards we have in Russia. Our best hockey players get injured because the opponents play very hard against SKA,” said Roman Rotenberg.

Many fans and journalists immediately lashed out at Dynamo player Maltsev. They believe it was a deliberate and dirty push on board. Still, don’t blame the defender. Tankov’s injury is just an accident. Defensive players often use their hands to push off opposing forwards to push the attack towards the boards. In this episode, Tanks already began to lose his balance and began to fall. Maltsev, on the other hand, did not have an accentuated push with his hand, but this was enough for the army man not to have time to escape from the collision.

A terrible combination of circumstances led to Tankov’s injury. Today it became known that after the initial examination, doctors diagnosed a fracture of the cervical vertebra, presumably the fifth. According to forecasts, Tankov will miss almost a year.

Not the first time

Scenes like this are always creepy. And, unfortunately, they do not happen as often as we would like. This problem can be looked at more broadly than just accusing the player of cruelty. In very rare cases, hockey players intentionally go into the fight to inflict injury. And there are no such thoughts at the beginning of the season, when the teams are just rolling into the regular season and playing their first matches.

The fact is that in sports schools they do not pay attention to such things. Only a few coaches on their own initiative add to their workouts and gymnastics. Thanks to this, hockey players become more flexible, and, most importantly, in such situations, they can group up near the boards. But more often than not, coaches simply confine themselves to the mantra: “you can’t face the boards.” Unfortunately, this is not always possible to adhere to.