Hockey Announcer’s Intense Close Call with a Game Puck Is Quite a Lot

Hockey commentator Pierre McGuire was on the job at the Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning NHL game at Ohio’s Nationwide Arena on Monday night when he encountered a game puck launched at full speed in closer proximity than, perhaps, ever before.

As caught on camera by the film crew, McGuire’s head was inches from a puck that went cruising through his reporting area at the edge of the ice. The NBC sports analyst was posted up between the two teams’ benches, just off the rink and — terrifyingly — within shooting distance for the players. (Not, of course, that they would be aiming for McGuire intentionally.) While McGuire’s head did not end up as the puck’s final resting place, the puck did make direct contact with the camera lens directly after, making for a dramatic video of its trajectory.

Despite McGuire’s close call with a puck to the head, he seems ready to get back on the sidelines once more. “It’s all part of what goes on down here,” he is quoted as saying on the NBC Sports Twitter account. Hockey is known for its fast pace and risk for injury, so it seems even reporters know they’re in for a wild ride with the sport.

As for the game? Ultimately, the Blue Jackets fell to the Lightning 5-1.