There’s no safety net over the NHL bench; however, Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar probably wishes there were one.
On Saturday night, Bednar was in his appointed spot behind his players as the Avalanche hosted the Las Vegas Knights. Knights winger Keegan Kolesar raced up the ice near the Avs bench with Colorado’s Jack Drury in hot pursuit and fighting for the puck, when, suddenly, the puck flew off the ice and behind the Colorado bench, where it struck the Avs skipper right in the face.
Bednar immediately hunched over in pain before being led down the tunnel for further evaluation with a towel held over his face.
Avs assistants took over coaching duties for the remainder of the game.
“Bednar was taken to a hospital after being hit with a puck on his right cheek during a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. A team spokesperson said at the time Bednar was fully alert and conscious and went to the hospital for a CT scan and further evaluation.”
Bednar did not travel with the Avs for the final two games of the regular season.
