Referee Michael Markovic left a game between the Sharks and Flames after being hit in the head with the puck.
A clearing attempt by San Jose’s Mario Ferraro caught Markovic in the mouth. He fell to the ice, clearly injured and bleeding on the play.
Markovic reportedly suffered a broken jaw on the play.
He’s the third referee in recent years to have his jaw broken on the ice. Referee Kevin Pollock was taken out of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs after being hit with a puck. Referee Dave Lewis missed a chunk of time in 2014 with a fractured jaw.
Markovic, who was promoted to full-time prior to the season, left the ice for medical attention with 9.8 seconds remaining in the third period of a 5-3 Sharks win.
Referee Chris Rooney handled the remaining seconds as the solo referee with linesmen Bryan Pancich and Killian McNamara.
There’s no timetable for Markovic’s return.
