ANAHEIM – It’s every hockey mom’s nightmare, seeing her son writhing on the ice in pain.
Kathleen Zary and her son Connor lived through that misery Tuesday night at Honda Centre, where the young Flames forward lay curled up in the slot, holding both sides of his knee following an ugly, knee-on-knee collision.
Surrounded by a suite full of empathetic ladies on the Flames’ mom’s trip, Kathleen stood just 22 rows above where her son was immediately tended to by team medical staffers.
The hit came six minutes into the second period of a game the Flames led 1-0, as Zary sped down the left side and into the Ducks zone with the puck. Attempting to cut towards the net, he was met by Drew Helleson whose left knee made contact with Zary’s as he headed the other way.
As Zary spun to the ground he shed both gloves mid-air, and used both hands to grasp the outside of his left knee, in clear distress.
Jakob Pelletier immediately rushed at Helleson, tackling the hulking defender who drew a five-minute kneeing major and game misconduct.
The league will undoubtedly look at the hit, which didn’t seem reckless or intentional. There was a slight lean as he administered the hit, which will be the focal point of the league’s examination.
“When I saw it live I didn’t like it, but I haven’t had a chance to watch it again yet,” said Flames coach Ryan Huska, who hadn’t spoken to trainers after the game and wasn’t able to provide an update on Zary’s status.
What’s not disputable is that the hit was tough to watch and the outcome is potentially significant for a 23-year-old star in the making, his team and his poor mother who saw it all unfold.
It ended his night, and he may be lost to the team for quite some time.
“It’s tough to see a guy go down, especially when he’s playing well and playing with confidence,” said Jonathan Huberdeau, who capitalized on a fortuitous bounce off the end boards in overtime to help the Flames capitalize on a 4-on-3 advantage.
“It’s part of the game, but it’s sad.”
Punctuating Huberdeau’s winning goal was a joyous celebration from the moms in the suite, who received an on-ice salute from their sons before they left the ice.
As the players exited the locker room one-by-one they were greeted by jersey-clad moms, who cheered while dishing out hugs and high fives.
“Here we go, we’re going to have a rowdy bus ride to LA,” beamed MacKenzie Weegar, whose first-period goal was a double deflection that bounced in off his pants.
With the Flames on tap to play at Crypto.com Arena Wednesday night it’s unlikely they’ll summon obvious call-up Rory Kerins right away. The Flames have an extra forward on the trip in winger Walker Duehr, and Yegor Sharangovich can move back into the middle.
However, if the news on Zary is as bad as many expect, you can bet the 22-year-old Kerins will finally get his chance to make his NHL debut as early as Saturday when the Flames host the Kings.
With 21 goals and 34 points in 34 games with the Wranglers, he’s another intriguing prospect management is curious to see in the bigs.
“It’s unfortunate – we’re hoping for the best,” said Nazem Kadri, who redirected in a beautiful Weegar pass for his 15th of the season in the 3-2 win.
“I’m not sure what the situation is, but we’re on his side. It was nice to see the guys stick up for him and that’s the kind of group we have.”
Did he think it was a dirty hit?
“Honestly, I’d have to watch it again,” he said.
“I saw it briefly, it was given a five-minute major, so I’m assuming it wasn’t great.”
Bad news of any kind will put even more pressure on GM Craig Conroy to find the centre he’s been searching for since the club lost Elias Lindholm.
Conroy told Sportsnet Tuesday he hasn’t been close to finding the right fit, but a lengthy Zary absence could change things.
“That’s tough, he’s a huge part of this team,” said Weegar.
“He’s a hell of a player and he’s a great kid and when you see a player like that go down like that you kind of rally the troops to get a win for him. He’s a tough Sasky kid. He’ll be alright. I don’t know the significance of it but it obviously didn’t look very good.”
The win ties a franchise record of nine-straight road wins in Anaheim, which is all sorts of ironic given the Flames had a 13-year winless drought totalling 25 games at the Duck Pond snapped in 2017.
