Daniel Winnik #26 of the Toronto Maple Leafs is taken from the ice after being injured in the first minute of play against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on November 6, 2014 in Denver, Colorado.Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
A scary incident overshadowed the on-ice action in the NHL in Denver on Thursday night.
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Dan Winnik was knocked unconscious in the first few minutes of the first period when he was up-ended by Colorado Avalanche defenceman Jan Hejda. It wasn't a dirty play, but Winnik fell awkwardly, coming down on the side of his head.
He then stopped moving and slid along the ice face first before medical personnel were able to attend to him.
Winnik was taken off on a stretcher shortly afterward. He had his eyes open and appeared to be moving his hands.
"Daniel Winnik is alert and moving," the Leafs posted to their official Twitter account later in the first period. "He is currently being evaluated by the Leafs team doctor."
After the game, Leafs coach Randy Carlyle provided an update that Winnik was "100 per cent," making a full recovery despite the ominous way he left the game.
The fact he was walking around in the dressing room during the first intermission was said to have helped inspire his teammates to battle back in the game.
A 29-year-old Toronto native, Winnik has been a pleasant surprise after signing in his hometown as a free agent in the summer and had been playing on the Leafs top line.
The Avs won the game 4-3 in a shootout.