NHL Referee Dunning Hospitalized After Collision

NHL referee Mitch Dunning was stretchered off the ice after a collision with Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The incident occurred early in the first period when Manson inadvertently collided with Dunning, who was moving backward and did not see the player. Medical personnel attended to Dunning on the ice, and he was subsequently taken to a hospital for evaluation. The NHL confirmed that Dunning showed normal neurological signs and could move all extremities. The former OHL hockey player turned referee has been with the NHL full-time since 2022. Despite the delay caused by the accident, the game resumed with one less official on the ice.