BOSTON – Nathan Horton will miss the rest of the Stanley Cup finals with a severe concussion, and Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome also is finished after the NHL suspended him for four games Tuesday for his late hit on the Bruins forward during Game 3.
Horton had just passed the puck early in the first period Monday night when Rome turned his shoulder and left his skates to flatten him. The 26-year-old Horton, the right wing on Boston's top line, apparently was knocked unconscious, hitting his head on the ice and staying down for several minutes before medical personnel took him away on a stretcher.
The Bruins saw it as a blindside hit — the type of blow that the league has tried to eliminate in the past year with Rule 48 after several players sustained severe concussions in recent seasons.
The Canucks vehemently disagreed Tuesday, uniformly claiming it was a legal blow to Horton's chest, only perhaps an instant late.
Mike Murphy, the NHL's senior vice president of hockey operations, agreed the hit would have been legal if it hadn't been late. But given its timing and Horton's subsequent injury, the NHL determined Rome would miss the rest of the series.
"I thought it was a late hit," Murphy said. "I thought that the body was contacted, but I also thought that the head was hit. It caused a serious injury to Nathan Horton. ... This has nothing to do with Rule 48. This is just an interference penalty, an interference hit. If it was immediate after he released the puck, it would be a legal hit. We have them all the time."
The Canucks vocally rushed to Rome's defense after practice Tuesday at Boston University, criticizing the severity of the suspension during the final postseason round. Game 4 is Wednesday night.
"We disagree with the decision, and it was a clean hit," Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin said. "Talking to Aaron was extremely emotional. When you get to this point in the playoffs, you want to be a part of it on the ice, and Romer didn't deserve what he got."
Rome didn't attend the Canucks' practice, but issued a brief statement through the team expressing concern for Horton's health and recovery.
"I try to play this game honestly and with integrity," said Rome, himself the victim of a serious hit from behind by San Jose's Jamie McGinn during the Western Conference finals. "As someone who has experienced this type of injury, I am well aware of its serious nature and have no desire for another player to experience it."
While Horton was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston rallied for an 8-1 victory, cutting Vancouver's series lead to 2-1. Coach Claude Julien said Horton stayed overnight for observation and left Tuesday morning.
"Obviously glad to know that it's not as bad as you always suspect," Julien said. "For him to be out ... obviously (there's) a long road to recovery, but hopefully he gets better soon."
Horton had just passed the puck early in the first period Monday night when Rome turned his shoulder and left his skates to flatten him. The 26-year-old Horton, the right wing on Boston's top line, apparently was knocked unconscious, hitting his head on the ice and staying down for several minutes before medical personnel took him away on a stretcher.
The Bruins saw it as a blindside hit — the type of blow that the league has tried to eliminate in the past year with Rule 48 after several players sustained severe concussions in recent seasons.
The Canucks vehemently disagreed Tuesday, uniformly claiming it was a legal blow to Horton's chest, only perhaps an instant late.
Mike Murphy, the NHL's senior vice president of hockey operations, agreed the hit would have been legal if it hadn't been late. But given its timing and Horton's subsequent injury, the NHL determined Rome would miss the rest of the series.
"I thought it was a late hit," Murphy said. "I thought that the body was contacted, but I also thought that the head was hit. It caused a serious injury to Nathan Horton. ... This has nothing to do with Rule 48. This is just an interference penalty, an interference hit. If it was immediate after he released the puck, it would be a legal hit. We have them all the time."
The Canucks vocally rushed to Rome's defense after practice Tuesday at Boston University, criticizing the severity of the suspension during the final postseason round. Game 4 is Wednesday night.
"We disagree with the decision, and it was a clean hit," Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin said. "Talking to Aaron was extremely emotional. When you get to this point in the playoffs, you want to be a part of it on the ice, and Romer didn't deserve what he got."
Rome didn't attend the Canucks' practice, but issued a brief statement through the team expressing concern for Horton's health and recovery.
"I try to play this game honestly and with integrity," said Rome, himself the victim of a serious hit from behind by San Jose's Jamie McGinn during the Western Conference finals. "As someone who has experienced this type of injury, I am well aware of its serious nature and have no desire for another player to experience it."
While Horton was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston rallied for an 8-1 victory, cutting Vancouver's series lead to 2-1. Coach Claude Julien said Horton stayed overnight for observation and left Tuesday morning.
"Obviously glad to know that it's not as bad as you always suspect," Julien said. "For him to be out ... obviously (there's) a long road to recovery, but hopefully he gets better soon."