Playoffs 2000:Devils' Sykora hurt early in Game 6

Devils' Sykora hurt early in Game 6
ESPN.com news services

DALLAS -- New Jersey forward Petr Sykora was hospitalized for observation Saturday night after taking a blow to the head from Dallas Stars captain Derian Hatcher in the first period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals.


	Sykora was taken off the ice on a stretcher. A CAT scan was normal but he remained at the hospital for observation.

A CAT scan was normal and Sykora -- whose head was immobilized for fear of a back or neck injury -- had a full range of motion, said team spokesman Kevin Dessart.

Play was stopped with 7:52 remaining and Sykora was told to stay flat on his back. Trainers cautiously placed him on a stretcher and took him to Baylor University Medical Center. Sykora remained hospitalized in good condition Sunday morning.

The Devils won the Stanley Cup 2-1 in double overtime on a goal by Sykora's linemate, Jason Arnott, with assists by Patrik Elias and Scott Stevens.

During the Stanley Cup ceremony, Elias draped Sykora's No. 17 on his shoulders. He said he called Sykora at the hospital and told him the team would bring him the Cup.

"He said that when we scored, he was jumping out of the bed," Elias said.

Sykora had just crossed the blue line into the Dallas zone with the puck when Hatcher skated into him. He dropped immediately and appeared to be dazed, although he was speaking later to trainers as concerned players from both teams gathered around him. No penalty was called.

"They said he is moving and talking, everything is OK," Hatcher said after the hit. "That is the important thing."

Hatcher's hit was eerily similar to a clean check delivered by defenseman Stevens in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals that left Philadelphia Flyers center Eric Lindros with the latest in a series of concussions.

Hatcher said that Sykora was "just coming down across the blue line with his head down."

"I just stepped into him," Hatcher said. "I am not sure what happened."

In Game 4, Hatcher leveled Jason Arnott with another controversial hit, knocking the bridge from Arnott's mouth. No penalty was called and Hatcher was not disciplined by the NHL.

Sykora had two goals and two assists to power New Jersey to a 7-3 rout in Game 1 of this series, then got the winning goal on the power play in the third period of Game 3. A 23-year-old native of the Czech Republic, Sykora is a converted center who plays on the Devils' top scoring line with Arnott and countryman Elias.

His injury marked the third time Game 6 had to be stopped because a player went down.

At the 16:40 mark, Dallas defenseman Darryl Sydor was helped off the ice because of an injury to his left leg. He awkwardly bent his left ankle while spinning off a check with Scott Gomez, then banged into the boards.

With the puck knocked into the opposite corner of the Dallas zone, Sydor tried getting up to chase the play, but couldn't put any weight on the leg, forcing him to drop to all fours and crawl toward the action.

Play was finally stopped once he had scooted near the Dallas goal. He kept his left ankle off the ice as he was helped to the locker room.

Sydor did not return. After the game, the Stars said that Sydor suffered a high-ankle sprain, an injury that would have kept him out six to eight weeks during the regular season.

Just 28 seconds later, the Stars saw center Joe Nieuwendyk sprawled on the ice on his back, barely moving. He remained that way for several seconds.

Nieuwendyk, the MVP of last season's playoffs, was flipped onto his head by Arnott after they met in a face off. Arnott caught his stick under Nieuwendyk's left thigh, then used it to jerk Nieuwendyk into the air. No penalty was called.

Nieuwendyk walked off on his own power and was back minutes later without missing a shift.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.