Sanni Hakala, who represents HV-71 in the Swedish hockey league, was injured in a scary-looking situation. The match was suspended for about 40 minutes before it was stopped completely.
In the SDHL, the main league of Swedish ice hockey, there were some scary moments on Friday evening. Finnish captain of HV-71 from Jönköping Sanni Hakala was injured in a scary-looking situation against Djurgården from Stockholm.
Hakala was knocked down in a drive-through situation, when the first set had only been played for three minutes. He slid headfirst into the post and was left lying there.
Teammates and referees signaled the first aid personnel to the spot and Hakala was finally taken off the ice on a stretcher.
The match was suspended for almost 40 minutes before it was announced in the arena that the match was over.
Head coach of HV71 Ulf Hall told SVT that the Finnish player is on his way to the hospital.
– Sanni is breathing and awake, which is positive. It was clear to both teams that we were going to stop the game.
The team spokesman who accompanied Hakala to the hospital Toni Galic tells SVT that the Finnish striker can to move both arms and is conscious.
The club says on social media that the thoughts of both teams are on Sanni’s side. The match will be played later.
Hakala, 26, has been playing in Sweden since 2016. He joined HV71 in November 2016.