Preseason clash during Pens vs. Blue Jackets ends with a knockout!

We have some preseason action going on in the National Hockey League this weekend, and unfortunately for one NHLer things on Sunday did not go as planned.

A preseason game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets turned ugly on Sunday afternoon when things got heated between Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jamie Devane and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ben Harpur. Things were pretty smooth up until the third period, but it was then that a seemingly minor incident between Devane and Harpur led to something far more serious.

After Harpur sent the puck up the ice he was on the receiving end of a hit from Devane along the boards, one that did not appear to be particularly forceful. Whatever was exchanged between the two men during that brief moment though, it was enough to set one or both of them off.

As the two men separated they both quickly dropped the gloves and began to throw blows back and forth, with Devane seemingly getting the better of Harpur with most of his shots. After taking a few shots Harpur appeared to readjust and for a moment it looked like he might mount more offense, however it was at this moment that Devane would put an end to the fight by putting Harpur to sleep.

Devane landed a devastating blow that appeared to knock Harpur out before he even hit the ice, sending the big defenseman crumbling down to the ice in a heap. Fortunately the officials on the ice quickly signaled for medical attention, and even Devane himself looked concerned about Harpur's well being following the fight.

Unfortunately Harpur came into training camp on a professional tryout offer, and we can only hope that this doesn't derail that for him. At this time we still don't have an update on Harpur's condition, but we will update this article as soon as it becomes available.

Update: Not a big update, but it sounds like Harpur will travel with the team so hopefully that is a sign that he's going to be alright, relatively speaking.