Settled
KHL linesman carried off on stretcher after puck strikes leg in Avtomobilist-Amur game
In short
A linesman was hit by a puck and carried off the ice on a stretcher during the Kontinental Hockey League regular-season match between Yekaterinburg's Avtomobilist and Khabarovsk's Amur. RBC identified him as Nikita Novikov, described by the outlet as the KHL's best linesman, and said he could not continue the game. RIA Novosti said the puck hit his knee, while RBC and Interfax said he was hit in the leg.
Why it matters
An injury to an on-ice official interrupts a KHL regular-season game and takes a linesman off the ice during the match, as reported by the outlets covering it. The documents give no information on his condition, treatment or how long he might be out, so no wider consequences can be established from them.
Key facts
- A linesman was hit by a puck during a Kontinental Hockey League regular-season match. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- He left the ice on a stretcher. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The official was identified as Nikita Novikov. [ 3 , 4 ]
- RIA Novosti said the puck struck his knee; RBC and Interfax said it hit his leg. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The match was between Yekaterinburg's Avtomobilist and Khabarovsk's Amur. [ 3 , 4 ]
- RBC said Novikov could not continue the match and described him as the KHL's best linesman. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The extent of the linesman's injury and whether he will miss further games. No document describes his condition, treatment or recovery time; the reports stop at the injury and his exit from the ice.
- Whether he was hit in the knee specifically or elsewhere in the leg. RIA Novosti says the puck hit his knee, while RBC and Interfax say only that it hit his leg.
- That he was unable to continue the match. Only RBC states this; no other document says whether he returned or not.
- That Novikov is the KHL's best linesman. This description appears in RBC alone and is not repeated or attributed to the league by any other document.
- The time the incident itself occurred. The documents give only publication times, not the moment during the match when the puck struck him.
What local media are saying
Official sourcesTASS and RIA Novosti reported the incident briefly, saying the referee left the ice on a stretcher after being hit by the puck, with RIA Novosti adding that it struck his knee. Neither named him nor identified the match.
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Business mediaRBC and Interfax supplied the specifics: the official's name, Nikita Novikov, and the fixture, a KHL regular-season game between Yekaterinburg's Avtomobilist and Khabarovsk's Amur. RBC added that he is the KHL's best linesman and could not continue; Interfax described the injury without naming the affected body part beyond the leg.
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Timeline, local time
- TASS reports that a KHL match referee left the ice on a stretcher after being hit by a puck. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti reports that the referee was carried off on a stretcher after the puck hit his knee. [ 2 ]
- RBC reports that Nikita Novikov, described as the KHL's best linesman, left the ice on a stretcher after being hit in the leg and could not continue the Avtomobilist-Amur match. [ 3 ]
- Interfax reports that linesman Nikita Novikov was injured in the KHL regular-season match between Yekaterinburg's Avtomobilist and Khabarovsk's Amur. [ 4 ]