NHL player Anthony Richard was involved in a freak accident on the ice when he took a skate to the face.
As the New York Rangers faced off against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, January 23, Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller inadvertently kicked Flyers forward Richard, 28, in the face.
In instant replay footage spreading online, fans can watch the moment the skate hit Richard’s face.
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“See, he’s behind him,” one announcer shared moments before expressing his shock over the incident. “Oh boy. Ohhh.”
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Richard immediately went down to the ice and began clutching his face before help arrived.
Despite the scary moment, which was caught on tape, it appears Richard was not seriously cut or injured in the play. He was able to get up and skate back to the bench on his own.
As for Miller, 25, he showed good sportsmanship by skating over to Richard to make sure he was alright. He also reportedly apologized for the accident.
The incident came when Richard was playing his eighth game with the Flyers this season. After suffering a foot injury on December 10, 2024, the hockey player was forced to miss 13 games in order to heal.
Throughout the recovery process, Richard was always hopeful that he would be able to return to the ice.
“I was waiting for that call for a couple months,” he told Philadelphia Flyers reporters on Thursday. “From the way I was playing, I was excited to get another chance.”
Richard promised before the game that he was going to “play my ass off” and “make sure they remember me like last time they did when I was hurt and played well.”
“I’ll just try to play my game and have a good first period again and get back to where I was,” he added. “I’m happy it’s behind me and my body is feeling pretty good.”
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Coach John Tortorella also expressed confidence in Richard before the game was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“He’s fast,” Tortorella, 66, shared with Flying Fish Hockey. “We’ve lost [Ryan Poehling] and I can immediately see with our team when you lose that type of speed up the middle, it affects your group.”
Although the Rangers beat the Flyers 6-1, the Philadelphia team will put on their skates again and face off against the New York Islanders on Friday, January 24. Richard is expected to play once again after escaping serious injury.
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