Referee Francois St. Laurent was injured when he was hit by the puck at Los Angeles Kings vs. Nashville Predators.
Referee François St-Laurent get struck with the puck and leaves the game.#GoKingsGo #Smashville #NSHvsLAK pic.twitter.com/36MvhCyz96
— LA Royalty (@LARoyalty1967) January 22, 2023
St. Laurent was skating backwards through the slot when he was hit with a shot from Kings’ forward Adrian Kempe 3:59 into the second period.
The puck caught the official on the inside of his left knee. He was helped off the ice and did not return to the game.
The game continued with three officials: referee Mitch Dunning (#20) and linesmen Derek Nansen (#70) and Jesse Marquis (#86).
St. Laurent is in his 17th season in the National Hockey League, having made his debut in 2005. The Quebec native has officiated 954 regular season games along with 79 playoff matches.
No word on St. Laurent’s injury, or if he’ll miss any time.
