Young hockey player rushed to hospital mid-game after being slammed head-first into the boards

The most serious injuries in hockey, a fast-paced and often physically taken sport, come from hits when players are sent into the boards. It was a terrible occurrence that happened to 15-year-old Timur Bariyev when he was hit from behind right onto the boards in a game, full force going to his head and neck. He is currently in the hospital with a serious spinal injury. The hockey community has come in unison to pray for his recovery and support him through the process.

Incidents of boarding have been part of the history of hockey. During the 1993-1994 season, one of the worst incidents of boarding happened with NHL forward Kevin Stevens when he went head-first into the boards while attempting to deliver a hit; this shattered his skull and face. Though Stevens did return to the ice, his career and game were never the same. His injury is one of the most jarring examples of how dangerous a collision with the boards can be.

In 2011, a frightening check into the boards by Zdeno Chara sent Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty crashing into a stanchion, leaving him with a broken neck and a fractured sternum, along with a severe concussion. The injury sent shockwaves throughout the league and reopened discussions relating to rink architecture, player protection, and the associated risks when high-speed collisions took place near the boards.

Still, another terrible incident occurred a few years before that in 2004, in which Colorado Avalanche player Steve Moore was attacked from behind by Vancouver Canucks player Todd Bertuzzi, who drove him face-first into the ice. The result of the vicious hit was three fractured vertebrae and a severe concussion for Moore. This eventually ended the NHL career of Moore and led to a lengthy legal battle that manned an increased implementation of rules regarding player safety.

These incidents remind us of the dangerous potential of hockey's most routine physical plays. Despite ongoing redesigning of rinks and enforcing much stricter rules on hits from behind, these types of injuries still occur. We send our thoughts to young Timur Bariyev in hopes that hockey can continue to evolve in preventing such tragedies, so he makes a full recovery without impacts to his life thereafter.