First, the good news on heavyweight Raitis Ivanans(notes).
Fresh off a beating by Edmonton Oilers brute Steve MacIntyre(notes), Ivanans reported to work, as usual, on Friday morning. He's walking, talking and breathing.
Pretty impressive considering the knockout punch he absorbed from MacIntyre the night before in Edmonton. With the game out of reach in the third period, MacIntyre sent Ivanans tumbling to the ice with a crushing right.
Immediately, linesman Darren Gibbs waved to the Calgary Flames bench for the training staff to come to the aid of the fallen player. Gibbs keenly prevented Ivanans—a vacant look in his eyes and blood streaming down his face—from trying to get up.
Once given the OK, he skated off the ice with one arm wrapped around Brett Sutter(notes) and the other around Adam Pardy(notes).
Ivanans missed practice Friday morning and was to see the team doctor Friday afternoon. A medical update from the team is expected today.
Word of a concussion would hardly shock anyone.
"It was pretty scary," Brett Sutter said. "Obviously, you never want to see a guy get taken off like that.
"After the game, he was pretty good. A little woozy, but that's to be expected.
"He seems better today."
The six-foot-four, 240-pound Ivanans drew the ire of all six-foot-five, 250 pounds of MacIntyre by hitting rookie Magnus Paajarvi(notes) in the face with his stick. The blade sliced open Paajarvi's lip, but the infraction went undetected by the officials.
As expected, MacIntyre sought out Ivanans to dole out his own justice.
"Everyone is throwing to hit," Mac-Intyre told reporters after the game. "No one is playing patty-cake."
In his first game as a Flame, Ivanans took on one of the most feared fighters on the 30-team circuit.
"I was just telling him he did a good job," Sutter said, of the words he told Ivanans as he teetered off the ice. "That's what he was out there to do. He was trying to make an impression.
"He was trying to do his job. He's pretty tough himself to go and stand in there with him… . He was doing it for the team. He'll get him next time."
After the game, Ivanans was chatting with his teammates, much to their relief.
"He was fine," said right-wing Rene Bourque(notes). "He was coherent. He was fully alert. I think he'll be fine."
With Ivanans expected to miss at least some time, newcomer Tim Jackman(notes) will likely handle much of the police duty in the interim.
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