Linesman Ryan Daisy was injured during Wednesday night’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers.

Daisy was hit in the knee by a dump-in from Toronto’s Alex Kerfoot during the first period.

 

 

Daisy was helped off the ice and did not return.

The game continued with a three-man officiating crew of referees Dan O’Rouke (#9) and Frederick L’Ecuyer (#17), with lone linesman Travis Toomey (#90) working both lines and racking up the miles on icings at both ends.

The missing official led to some confusion on a potential offside. The Oilers stopped skating after the Leafs entered the attacking zone, thinking the play was offside, only to have a live puck recovered by Toronto, leading to a David Kampf goal.

“Obviously, they were down to one linesman,” McDavid said. “We thought we heard ‘offside’. It could have been our bench saying offside, we’re not sure, but obviously we stopped playing and they didn’t and it hurt us.”

Daisy, 34, is in his seventh season in the National Hockey League, his sixth as a full-time linesman.  The native of Mansfield, MA, worked his way up through USA Hockey’s Officiating Development Program.  Daisy spent time in the NAHL, USHL, ECHL, and AHL before making his NHL debut on October 13, 2016, working a game between the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets.  Daisy has officiated 418 regular season games along with 23 playoff matches, including a trip to the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.

Here’s wishing linesman Ryan Daisy a speedy recovery.