Nathan Paetsch Nearly Taken Off the Ice On a Stretcher

Nathan Paetsch, who got caught in a bad position and launched backwards into the boards by Sean Avery on Monday, took another nasty shot tonight at the hands, or elbows I should say, if Georges Laraque. Paetsch had what appeared to be typical outlet play where he moved the puck up to the wing and only seconds later found himself waking up on the ice surrounded by medical staff. Laraque skated up to Paetsch well after the puck was gone, elbow ready to fly and tried to throw a late shot but he seemed to catch Paetsch right on the chin. Paetsch immediately fell to the ice and did not move for quite some time. It was clear that was he was completely unconscious and it was a scary scene as they wheeled out the stretcher. Luckily, just as they were preparing the stretcher Paetsch was able to stand up with the support of the staff. Laraque was given a 5 minute penalty for elbowing and a game misconduct, and it deserves a suspension from Colin Campbell. If Steve Ott's suspension for the shot to the head of Jordan Leopold is any indication, 3 games would be about right.

Update: Georges Laraque has been suspended three games for his elbow on Nathan Paetsch. Paetsch is out indefinitely with what was clearly a concussion.

On another front, an example of how much Pittsburgh loves Colby Armstrong was just shown in the form of a commercial featuring the tough winger, which I'd seen during previous game. This time, however, the car dealership acknowledged his trade to Atlanta and wished him the best. He will clearly be missed.