Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Hockey officials are artists of the on-ice hop.

It’s nothing fancy—a little skip and a graceful landing, all in the name of avoiding an obstacle. When done properly, it’s an underappreciated moment of finesse. But sometimes the situation turns dire, and sometimes the obstacle being hopped is taller than a puck.

Such was the case Wednesday for linesman Derek Amell, who found himself in the unenviable position of attempting to hurdle Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar in the waning minutes of Detroit’s preseason matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Next Impulse Sports' Pete Blackburn crafted a GIF of the scary moment. With nowhere else to go, Amell tried to clear Tatar after Pittsburgh’s Blake Comeau checked the forward into the boards. It didn’t work as planned, and the linesman’s knee caught Tatar flush in the noggin.

@PeteBlackburn

Tatar attempted to stand, but he had to be helped off the ice by teammates and medical staff. He would remain out the rest of the game.

If it’s any consolation, the team is optimistic concerning the severity of Tatar’s injury.

MLive.com’s Ansar Khan reports that Red Wings coach Mike Babcock is confident in Tatar’s health: “He got hammered pretty good, said it’s worse than UFC,” Babcock said. “He’s going to be fine.”

If there’s any lesson here, it’s that nothing beneficial happens in hockey when your feet leave the ice.

Steel side down, fellas. It’s safer that way.

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