CHICAGO — In their first game back from a three-game road trip out east, the United Center went quiet in the second period due to a frightening hit to a Blackhawks’ player.
With 13:52 left in the second period of their game with the Rangers, forward Jujhar Khaira was knocked unconscious after a hit by New York’s Jacob Trouba.
After the second period, the Blackhawks announced that Khaira suffered what they classified as an upper-body blow and was taken to Northwestern Hospital for further testing.
A replay of the hit showed that Khaira had his head down looking at the puck and when he looked up, Trouba was there to make the hit and struck the Blackhawks’ forward in the head. The Blackhawks’ forward fell immediately to the ice, hit his head again, and was there for several minutes with little motion as he was being attended to by athletic trainers.
Eventually, Khaira was stretchered off the ice by athletic trainers and paramedics as he went for further examination at Northwestern Hospital.
The 27-year old forward joined the Blackhawks this season on a two-year, $1.95 million contract after spending his first six seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. Khaira has two goals in 18 games so far in his first season in Chicago.