CALGARY — After appearing to be knocked out on the second shift of his NHL season, Kevin Rooney wasn’t sure what he’d wake up to the next morning.
One thing he didn’t expect was a text from the man whose hit did the damage, J.T. Miller.
“It meant a lot,” said Rooney, speaking Thursday for the first time since the scary incident.
“It was a little bit of an apology and an explanation on how he saw the play. He said he didn’t want to injure me. He loves battling against me — we’ve had some battles dating back to when I was in Jersey and we used to go at it a little bit, nothing crazy. And I think he’s got a lot of respect for me and how I’ve come up through the league.”
The hit came eight minutes into the Calgary Flames‘ season opener in Vancouver, when Brayden Pachal grabbed the puck below the goal line and fed a pass to Rooney, who was starting to break out just above the faceoff dot.
Rooney missed the pass, but was already in Miller’s crosshairs and was levelled a few feet from the boards with a bit of a reverse hit that sent the prone Flames centre awkwardly into the wall, with his shoulder and head bearing the brunt of the impact.
Rooney lay motionless on his back with his eyes fluttering and arms reaching upwards, in obvious distress, as trainers and medical personnel raced onto the ice.
Adam Klapka made a bee-line to Miller and put him in a headlock, as several other scrums ensued, giving the Canucks a power play they cashed in on to kickstart a 3-0 lead.
The hit was not penalized, but Miller eventually felt obligated to fight Anthony Mantha late in the period and won.
“Watching it again he’s probably thinking I’m going to get the pass, and I miss it,” said Rooney, who figured the fact it was early in the game and the season perhaps led to him letting his guard down a bit and not being ready for the blast.
“I can’t remember the last time I put myself in a situation like that.
“I know he’s not trying to injure anyone or anything like that.
“If the boards weren’t there I’m just falling down and getting right back up. It’s just because I hit the boards in that awkward spot that it was a bit scary.
“He plays the game hard and he’s a premier player because of the way he plays. I have a ton of respect for him, especially the fact he reached out.”
In a fraternity of hockey players that has grown increasingly closer through social media over the years, it’s hardly surprising Miller felt the need to touch base with his fallen foe.
But a classy gesture nonetheless.
“I just don’t like seeing people hurt like that,” said Miller when asked earlier this week by Sportsnet about why he reached out to Rooney.
“I’ve tried to play within the rules pretty much my whole career. But you still don’t want to see something like that. And I respect him a lot as a player — he works really hard. I’m glad to hear he’s going to be back playing.”
Asked how long the text string went on between the two American-born players, Rooney said it was brief.
“He said my piece and I said mine,” smiled Rooney, 31, who returned to his fourth-line perch Thursday.
“I said I appreciated it for sure.”
Apology accepted?
“I don’t know if I said that,” laughed Rooney, described aptly by his coach as a “good spirit.”
“But no, I appreciated it, it meant a lot.
“I understand, it’s one of those plays that’s not even a penalty. So, I’m not too upset about it. It’s just the way the game goes.”
Flames fans and observers were definitely bothered by Canucks fans raucously chanting Miller’s name as Rooney was being tended to.
Flames players were too, as overtime hero Connor Zary said post-game it “pissed guys off,” and was a motivator that prompted a stirring comeback win after being down 4-1 in the first.
“I didn’t really remember that,” said Rooney of the chants.
“I think it was Connor who brought it up the next day when we were talking about the hit and I didn’t really think anything of it.”
It’s all behind them now, thanks to a text exchange reminding us all these guys are people first, and players second.
