Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The NHL said referee Mitch Dunning is fully responsive after being taken to hospital for precautionary reasons following a collision in the Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers game.
Just over six minutes played between the Avalanche and the Flyers when Dunning accidentally collided with Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson. Dunning was gliding backward into the neutral zone while Colorado had possession of the puck in the Flyers zone. Manson drifted behind him while they both had their eyes set on the puck and tried to avoid the official but collided into the back of Dunning.
According to the NHL, Dunning is fully communicative and can move all his extremities. All neurological signs are normal as well.
Referee Mitch Dunning was taken off the ice on a stretcher after a collision with defenseman Josh Manson during Colorado Avalanche vs. Philadelphia Flyers. https://t.co/zRclvb7p8y #COLvsPHI #GoAvsGo #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/QCJ45TVwPf
— Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) November 19, 2024
While Dunning was carried off the ice on the stretcher, players from both teams checked on him, including Manson, who gave him a little tap on the way out. The game continued with referee Jean Hebert and the standard two linesmen, Matt MacPherson and Michel Cormier.
Dunning is a young referee at just 32 years old. He’s officiated well over 200 games, and this is his seventh season serving as an NHL referee. He joined the NHL Officials Association back in 2018 and made his officiating debut on March 28, 2019.
The Tecumseh, Ont. native played 37 games in the OHL, including 21 games for the Sarnia Sting in the 2008-09 season and 16 games for the Windsor Spitfires in 2009-10. He played alongside future NHLers at the time, such as Taylor Hall, Cam Fowler, Ryan Ellis, Adam Henrique, and Matt Martin, according to Flyers NHL.com contributor Bill Meltzer.
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