“Prayers up,” wrote an earnest Frank Seravalli on X after NHL official Chris Rooney had to leave Game 7 between the Panthers and the Maple Leafs on Sunday. The NHL official caught Niko Mikkola‘s inadvertent stick during the second period of the game and was subsequently taken off the ice. Thankfully, it looks like the official has managed to pull off a narrow escape from any major damage.

During Sunday’s game, which the Panthers won 6-1 and subsequently sealed their spot in the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, Chris Ronney was caught in the crossfire. Mikkola was caught off guard by Mitch Marner hit in the second period of the game. And as the Cats’ star tried to fend off the attack by the Maple Leafs skater, the former’s stick caught the referee’s visor, and Rooney immediately went down on the ice with his hands over his face. In the third period of the game, TNT’s Jackie Redmond shared that Rooney’s stitches were above his eyes. And now, more updates suggest that Rooney could be back in his natural habitat soon!

The Athletic‘s Pierre LeBrun hopped on X on May 19, a day after the sordid affair took the hockey community by surprise, to share hearty news regarding the referee. “Update on veteran ref Chris Rooney who left Game 7 last night in Toronto after taking a stick on a follow through. Scary incident. Has a black eye but luckily no eye damage,” LeBrun’s post brought relief to thousands of fans from around the world.

The play was halted for several minutes as the crowd at the Scotiabank Center was left aghast by the accident. Backup referee Garrett Rank was brought in as the paramedics tended to Rooney’s wounds. Luckily, though, Chris isn’t going to need a whole lot of time to recover and could be back on the ice soon once again. “Hopes to be back working later this round. Good news it wasn’t worse,” LeBrun’s social media update claims that Rooney’s playoff participation is far from over.

An article by Sports Illustrated also lightly joked that the ref was probably annoyed about having to miss a shift on Sunday’s game following his eye injury. However, as much as Rooney missed the ice, the Leafs perhaps missed the referee more. Coincidentally, in games officiated by Rooney or Jean Herbert (his partner on Sunday) this regular season, Coach Berube’s boys had gone 9-1-1, while the Panthers posted a 7-4-3 record. And while Herbert continued with his duties after Rooney’s departure, the stars just didn’t align for the Leafs, who did everything they could to stay in cup contention.

Chris Rooney dodged a bullet, and we’d wager that he can’t wait to show up ASAP. The ref officiated his first NHL match way back in 2000, and in January 2025, became the first American to officiate 1,500 career NHL games. A milestone indeed, but we believe Rooney’s resume is only going to get sturdier in the coming days. But while the ref’s accident was certainly among the highlights of the night, it could do little to take anything away from the match itself.

Chris Rooney’s woes only worsened the Leafs’ bad day at home

After three straight defeats to the reigning champs, the Maple Leafs finally managed to show their worth in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series. On May 16, at the Amerant Bank Arena, the Leafs shut out the Cats 2-0 thanks to an incredible display of heart by goalie Joseph Woll. For the final, and decisive, game of the second round of the Eastern Conference, Auston Matthews & Co. went all-in to ensure victory.

For Game 7, Berube’s squad showed up at its home arena wearing the same walk-in outfits from Game 6. Superstitious? You bet! But when it’s the Stanley Cup race on the line, could you blame them? But all those efforts went straight out the window. “Our game is built on wearing teams down over the course of a seven-game series…It might not show in the first five minutes, but hopefully it shows in an overtime or late in the third,” the Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk had said before Sunday’s game, and that’s exactly what things turned out to be.

Seth Jones, Anton Lundell, and Jonah Gadjovich put the reigning champs ahead with a goal apiece in the second period. The Leafs’ misery was only made worse by three more goals from Eetu Luostarinen, Sam Reinhart, and Brad Marchand in the third period. Max Domi’s lone goal couldn’t hold a candle to the Panthers’ relentless attacks.

Now, Florida will face the Canes in the Eastern Conference final, as the series kicks off this Tuesday. How would you like to see Chris Rooney in charge of the game as the action heads to PNC Arena? Tell us below!