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The play happened at 16:18 of the second period in Edmonton’s final game of the regular season, with nothing at stake for the Oilers.

“This is awful,” commentator Elliotte Friedman said on Hockey Night in Canada. “You just hope it’s not bad, but it’s awful to watch.”

Said Bruce Arthur of The Toronto Star: “Any hockey fan, any sport fan, should hope Connor McDavid is OK.”

“You hate to see that, such a good player, you never want to see that kind of stuff,” said Flames attacker Johnny Gaudreau on the broadcast. “Hopefully he is alright.”

Hockey Night in Canada commentator Nick Kypreos said that McDavid was skating as fast as he’s ever been clocked on the rush, 42.8 km/h. “It’s breaking in on goal that puts him in constant danger because of that speed,” Kypreos said. “Not that we can read lips, but on social media everybody is saying, did he just say, ‘It’s broke.'”

Commentator Kelly Hrudey mentioned McDavid’s stoic reaction to the play. “Most guys would be on the ice and writhing.”

There was some question as to whether Giordano was going for the puck on the play or simply took out McDavid’s legs on the rush. Giordano got a two-minute minor. Commentator Derek Van Diest of Postmedia said, “This is taking a guy’s legs out as he’s driving for the net. Definition of dirty.”

Giordano told Eric Francis of Sportsnet: “I feel terrible – I honestly thought I could get that puck when I dove for it and watching the replay I missed it and my stick kind of trips him. I was trying to ask him right away. He was in a lot of pain there so he wasn’t saying much. Obviously with the result being what it is if I had to do it all over again I’d almost rather see myself let him go and not injure him. It’s easy to say after the fact. I’m not trying to make a dirty play there.”