Oilers fan left bleeding after Evan Bouchard puck incident

The Utah Mammoth were in Edmonton to face the Oilers on Thursday night, and the action on the ice was intense, but then things went overboard. Literally.

During play with less than four minutes to go in the third period, with the Oilers trailing 3-2, defenseman Evan Bouchard fired a dump-in toward the boards that got deflected out of play and sailed into the crowd, striking a fan directly in the face.

The puck caught the spectator flush on the cheek, under the eye, and there was a brief stoppage as arena staff rushed over to check on the fan and offer assistance.

What happened next earned the fan instant respect from everyone watching.

Rather than leaving his seat or requiring further medical attention, the fan simply grabbed a towel, held it to his face to stop bleeding, and stayed put. No dramatics, no stretcher. Just a towel and pure grit.

Play resumed after the short delay, and the fan reportedly watched the rest of the game from his seat as though nothing had happened.

Deflected pucks finding their way into the stands is an unavoidable reality of live hockey, and most arenas have netting in the highest danger zones behind the goals. But pucks that ricochet off sticks, boards, or glass along the sides of the rink can still reach fans in exposed seating areas at high speed.

The anonymous fan in Edmonton has earned a well-deserved round of applause from the hockey world for taking one of the sport's occupational hazards square in the face and refusing to flinch.