After seeing Coyotes goalie Mike Smith go down hard after a collision with Chicago’s Andrew Shaw, the main concern was with Smith’s health. After all, Smith has a checkered injury history including debilitating concussions and the hit he took up high from Shaw had him laid out on the ice for some time.
After the game, Smith gave his take on what happened to Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune as well as an update on how he’s feeling.
“I went back to play the puck and I didn’t see him coming,” Smith said, in quotes relayed by the Coyotes. “I don’t have eyes in the back of my head.” As for his condition? “I feel fine,” Smith said. “I’m 100 percent.”
When Smith was hit, he spun out with his equipment flying off him to the ice and while Shaw was kicked out of the game and faces a disciplinary hearing tomorrow, it’s hard not to be cynical. After all, Smith stayed in the game and says he feels great, meanwhile the Coyotes got a five-minute power play and a goal out of the situation.
It’s great that Smith is healthy, but if he was hamming things up as a part of some kind of gamesmanship to give his team an edge, Chicago winning Game 2 in overtime makes for some special kind of karmic retribution.