Tampa Bay Lightning Injury Update: Dan Girardi ‘ok’ after taking puck to the head

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Dan Girardi is considered Day-to-Day with an Upper Body Injury after taking a puck to the head on Sunday night in Detroit.

The eerie sound you heard (or didn’t hear) last night was the silence which ensued after a devastatingly scary moment which went down on Sunday night at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The entire Bolts Nation held their breath as Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Dan Girardi made a block with his head instead of his stick.

It was late in the second period, the Tampa Bay Lightning held a 2-1 lead over the Detroit Red Wings. The play had made its way into the Lightning’s defensive zone, which meant it was time for the Bolts d-men to jump into action. Girardi, who had been having a tremendous night in his own right, was on the scene and ready to go.

Red Wings forward Martin Frk was in position and had his sights locked in on Lightning netminder Louis Domingue and the back of the net. Frk pulled back his stick and fired off a bomb of a slap shot. In a split second, the puck nailed Girardi in the back of the head.

Instantly, Girardi hit the ice like a ton of bricks. The entire arena fell silent as Athletic Trainers from both teams rushed the ice to attend to Girardi. Seconds seemed like hours as Girardi lay motionless on the ice. Eventually, Girardi was able to sit up, which was met by gasps of relief and cheers from the crowd.

Dan Girardi was able to make it off the ice with a little assistance from his teammates, captain Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. Unfortunately, it was clear Girardi wouldn’t have known his own name if you asked him. Then again, who would? A hit to the head is an extremely dangerous thing and can cause serious damage.

There is some good news coming out of the Bolts Nation today. The Tampa Bay Lightning announced this afternoon Dan Girardi is ‘ok’ after taking the nasty-looking shot to the head. All of his tests came back negative, which is fantastic news. This means there is no long-term ramifications from the impact.

The only bad news to come out of this is Girardi is listed as Day-to-Day with an Upper Body Injury. While there has been no official word from the team, it could be easily assumed Dan Girardi will not be taking the ice with his teammates tomorrow night as they return home to take on the Carolina Hurricanes.

Next: Lightning Recall Louis Domingue From Syracuse Crunch

At the end of the day, it stinks to have a hard-working defenseman like Dan Girardi on the sidelines for any length of time; especially combined with the other injuries the Lightning are dealing with right now. When all is said and done, the important thing is he is ok and will live to play another day.