A bit of a concern . . .

16:32 Stoppage - Puck in the crowd
16:32 Boyd Gordon won faceoff against Milan Hejduk
16:42 Giveaway by Alexander Semin
16:50 Shaone Morrisonn credited with hit on Milan Hejduk
17:11 Shot blocked by Jordan Leopold
17:11 Penalty to Michael Nylander 2 minutes for Holding Jaroslav Hlinka
17:11 Power play - Paul Stastny won faceoff against Dave Steckel
17:38 Power play - Shot missed by John-Michael Liles(Wide of Net)
17:39 Stoppage - Goalie Stopped
17:39 Power play - Paul Stastny won faceoff against Dave Steckel
17:54 Power play - Shot missed by John-Michael Liles(Hit Goalpost)
18:01 Power play - Giveaway by John-Michael Liles
18:03 Shot on goal by Boyd Gordon (Backhand 12 ft)
18:04 Shot missed by Shaone Morrisonn(Wide of Net)
18:05 Stoppage - Net Off Moorings
18:05 Shorthanded - Brooks Laich won faceoff against Jaroslav Hlinka
18:22 Stoppage - Offside
18:22 Shorthanded - Boyd Gordon won faceoff against Jaroslav Hlinka
19:16 Takeaway by Milan Jurcina
19:22 Shot blocked by Alexander Ovechkin
19:31 Shot missed by Alexander Ovechkin(Wide of Net)
19:37 blocked by Alexander Ovechkin
19:42 Stoppage - Puck in Bench

For those wondering why I'm posting the play-by-play from Wednesday's night win, you had to be there. At 16:32 of the first period, a puck flew into the seats and hit a woman about two sections over from me in section 114. People in her vicinity signaled for the paramedics immediately, and the usher went to go get them. Down in the seats, people began pooling any napkins they had available to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile play went on. A few minutes later there was a penalty on Washington. No paramedics. A couple of fans stepped forward to take charge, presumably people with some medical training, be they EMTs, Doctors, or Nurses. The Caps killed off the penalty. No paramedics. The Avalanche failed to score on the power play, no paramedics. Finally a minute or two after that, the paramedics lacsadaisically sauntered down the aisle to treat the woman. During mites on ice, the woman was escorted out, not returning for the duration of the match.

By my count, there were 4 stoppages in play, and a little over 3 minutes in game time between when the puck was over and when the paramedics finally showed up, which I figure to be about a 6-7 minute delay. What were the paramedics doing? The first aid station is behind section 117, right next to the incident. When someone gets hit in the head by a piece of frozen rubber being propelled that hard, you have to wonder what takes the paramedics so long.

On a positive note, it was nice to feel Verizon Center as cold as well, a hockey rink. Someone has been getting the notes on how to make the ice better it seems.