The NHL playoffs has been a grueling two month grind for the players as they complete for the holy grail of hockey the Stanley Cup. It takes an immense toll on the mind and body. While the players no doubt endure the most, the referees that are assigned to the games endure the grind as well.
For linesman Devin Berg, he has experienced more pain in the last two months that his peers in the black and white stripes. Berg was assigned as a referee for Game 3 of the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars first round matchup. During the game, Berg was struck in the face by a puck which required some repairs.
Berg's bad puck luck struck again last night, during the Florida Panthers elimination of the New York Rangers in Game 6. The incident occurred in the third period of the game. Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues was dumping the puck in the Rangers zone when it struck Berg in a rather sensitive area. Berg went down immediately from the pain. You could see from Rodrigues reaction he knew that one did some damage.
