In a blow to the Vancouver Canucks roster days before the regular season even begins, head coach Travis Green confirmed forward Brock Boeser and defenceman Oscar Fantenberg were both placed in concussion protocol Tuesday.
The move comes after both players took hard hits in an exhibition game Monday night against the Ottawa Senators in Abbotsford.Neither player practised Tuesday with the team from their training facility in Burnaby.
Green says he believes Boeser was hurt when Senators forward Chris Tierney levelled him into the boards from behind, in an area several feet away from the boards the hockey world often refers to as the "danger zone."
TSN1040’s Blake Price argued on Twitter Boeser’s injury was precisely why star players should see only a few games of pre-season action.
"Limit the odds of BS like this, which incidentally happens in Boeser's 2nd game. More than enough time for Boeser to go in/out of protocol before the opener. But not ideal," Price wrote on social media Tuesday afternoon.
The 22-year-old right winger tallied three assists before the hit, en-route to a 6-4 Canucks victory.
Meanwhile, Fantenberg left the game Monday night after he was rocked along the boards in the first period. The Swedish defenceman was down on the ice for several minutes before being helped off by the team’s training staff.
The Canucks and Sens play again Wednesday night in more pre-season action before the regular season begins seven days later.
With files from The Canadian Press
