Slovakia’s Bartecko has concussion after shoulder hit, taken to clinic in athletes’ village

Slovakia’s Bartecko injured by shoulder hit

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Slovakia forward Lubos Bartecko has a concussion and is likely out of the Olympic hockey quarterfinals after being leveled by a shoulder hit from Norway defenseman Ole Kristian Tollefsen during Slovakia’s 4-3 victory on Tuesday night.

“He has a head injury, a concussion. He’s been stitched up, but he should be OK,” Slovakia spokesman Peter Dobias told The Associated Press.

Dobias initially said Bartecko would be treated at Canada Hockey Place, but he later was taken to a clinic at the athletes’ village. Team officials said his condition was stable.

“It was a very unfair attack on his head,” Slovakia coach Jan Filc said, criticizing Tollefsen for delivering a blindside hit. “He’s OK, but he’s not supposed to play (Wednesday).”

Bartecko lost his balance after another Norwegian appeared to push him, causing him to lean forward before Tollefsen hit him. The blow left his body limp, then the back of Bartecko’s head hit the ice as his helmet popped off. He left the rink on a stretcher, raising his hands to rub his forehead.

Slovakia’s players watched nervously from their bench as medical personnel treated Bartecko. Fans in nearby seats turned around and stopped watching as blood gushing from the back of his head caused a pool on the ice the size of a dinner plate. Attendants scrambled to fetch towels to slow the bleeding before the stretcher arrived. The blood was cleaned up by arena workers before play resumed.

“It’s not comfortable seeing so much blood coming out of his head,” Slovakian forward Richard Zednik said. “A really dirty play.”

As Bartecko fell to the ice a third Norway player, Tore Vikingstad, also clipped him.

“Nobody likes to see that, especially in the Olympics,” said Miroslav Satan, who won the game for Slovakia with a goal 8 minutes into the final period. “We also wanted to win for him.”

Tollefsen was ejected from the game and given a five-minute penalty for checking to the head. Slovakia then scored twice on the ensuing five-minute power play.

“A five-minute penalty, and they scored two goals — that was the key to the game,” Vikingstad said.

Norway coach Roy Johansen said he saw the hit on a video replay. He did not believe it was a dirty play.

“(Bartecko) got a push from behind. He didn’t mean to hit him in the head,” Johansen said. “I don’t think it was on purpose to hurt him. He was bending forward, and he put the shoulder in his head.”

The 33-year-old Bartecko played in 257 games for Atlanta and St. Louis of the NHL from 1999-2003. He now plays in a league in Switzerland.