Linesman Lonnie Cameron has seen a lot of things during his 20-year, 1,375-game NHL career.

One thing he didn’t see in Tuesday night’s game between the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators was the puck.

Cameron was struck by a dump-in attempt from Nashville’s Austin Watson. The puck caught the veteran linesman in the helmet.

 

 

Cameron was checked out by the Canucks medical trainer and helped off the ice. The game continued with two referees, Marc Joannette and Ghislain Hebert, with Kiel Murchison the lone linesman.

They didn’t have to hold down the fort as a three-man unit for long.

Cameron returned to the ice after the next stoppage in play, just five minutes later.  He missed just two minutes of action.

One has to presume the concussion protocol was completed and that none of the league’s official spotters were concerned that Cameron may have suffered a concussion from a puck to the helmet.  Per the protocol:

 

This Protocol requires the mandatory removal of a Player from play for an acute evaluation as soon as possible if a concussion is suspected, or if any of the  symptoms or signs listed below exist.

Symptoms and signs leading to removal from play:

If any of the following symptoms or signs occurs after a direct blow to the head (including secondary contact with the glass, boards and ice) or an indirect blow to the head (such as a blow to the body that causes acceleration/deceleration of the head), the Club shall remove the Player from the playing environment for an acute evaluation:

  • Signs: “Slow to Get Up” or “Clutches his Head”: A player is slow to get up or clutches his head (including any part of his face) following any of these mechanisms of injury:
    – a blow to the Player’s head or upper torso from another player’s shoulder;
    – the Player’s head makes secondary contact with the ice; or,
    – the Player is punched in the head (including any part of his face) by an ungloved fist during a fight

 

Now, the protocol doesn’t specify anything about officials, only players.  It also doesn’t specially call out a puck to the helmet, though it’s fair to say that a puck to the helmet is as – or more – likely to cause a concussion than a punch from an ungloved fist, which is noted above.

in any case, we’re glad that Cameron was not injured on the play and that he was able to return to the game.

Now he can get back to that in-game karaoke.