May 20 (UPI) -- Referee Chris Rooney, who was hit in the face with a hockey stick during the Florida Panthers-Toronto Maple Leafs series, is doing well and hopes to return to work the NHL playoffs, a league source told UPI on Tuesday.
The NHL provided an initial update on the veteran official, who was cut above his right eye when Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola accidentally grazed him with his stick blade in Game 7 on Sunday in Toronto.
The league said he received stitches and was "doing well." Rooney sustained a black eye, but no permanent damage.
The veteran official, who lost a significant amount of blood onto the ice and along the boards, received immediate medical attention before leaving Sunday's game. He was replaced by alternate referee Garrett Rank.
Rooney was hired under a minor league referee contract with the NHL in 1999. He was promoted to a full-time NHL referee in 2002. He has worked on the ice for more than 170 playoff games and appeared at the Stanley Cup Final seven times.
The Carolina Hurricanes will host the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C. The Dallas Stars will host the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Dallas.
