It certainly was a frightening scene earlier today in Russia for one particular prospect of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Kirill Tankov, whom the Penguins selected in the 7th round of the 2021 NHL Draft, was seriously injured when he was hit from behind and struck the boards head first. Tankov, who currently suits up for SKA-Neva, was hurt by Dynamo St. Petersburg defenseman Artyom Maltsev, who was ejected from the game as a result.
Tankov lay motionless on the ice for several minutes while being tended to by medical personnel. He would eventually be stretchered off the ice. And according to head coach Alexander Titov, there wasn't much of an update other than the fact that Tankov is currently at a local hospital.
"An alarming situation," Titov said. "Let's hope everything works out. The player was taken to the hospital for examination, put a splint on his neck. He hit his head on the board, there was a push from the Dynamo player. We did not watch the video, but the push was visible from the bench. The officials watched the video for a reason. I hope that this injury will not be terrible and severe."
According to Russian television network MatchTV, Tankov had fractured a cervical vertebrae in his neck, and his season is over. Last year while playing in the VHL, Tankov tallied 10 goals and 11 assists in 38 games played.
We certainly wish him the best for a speedy recovery.
