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Scenes from Canucks practice: Chytil leaves and will need X-rays after taking puck to face
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Feb 18, 2026, 17:17 EST
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A scary scene unfolded late in the Vancouver Canucks practice at the University of British Columbia on Wednesday.
As the team battled in a mini-game at one end of the ice, an errant shot rose up and struck forward Filip Chytil in the side of the head. Chytil immediately dropped to one knee, removed his helmet and clutched the side of his face as team medical personnel moved to help him. Chytil, wearing a red non-contact jersey for a second straight day as a result of migraine issues, was able to exit the ice surface on his own and headed immediately to the locker room.
Following practice, head coach Adam Foote didn’t have an update on Chytil’s immediate condition but noted that the veteran centre would require X-rays.
“I don’t know if it hit the visor first or got caught in between (the visor and Chytil’s face), but we’ll find out,” Foote explained. “It (the puck) skipped off a skate first and then hit the glass and I hope that slowed it down.”
The puck to the head is the latest in a long list of unfortunate events for Chytil, who was injured six games into the season when he was hit hard by Washington’s Tom Wilson. After three months off, Chytil returned to the Canucks lineup last month only to leave again after six games due to migraines. He consulted a specialist during the Olympic break and was back on the ice with his teammates on Tuesday as the players returned to practice. Now his status is up in the air yet again after being hit in the face with the puck. The Canucks have Thursday as a planned team day off, so it may take until Friday to get a further update.
As for the second day of practice out of the Olympic break, the Canucks skated in one full group on Wednesday after breaking into two smaller groups for their on-ice sessions on Tuesday. After missing the first day back due to illness, Conor Garland joined his teammates on Wednesday, giving the Canucks 12 forwards, six defencemen and three goalies on the ice. 
Zeev Buium wore a full cage for a second straight day and also wore a red non-contact jersey. He hopes to shed both in time for the resumption of the NHL schedule next week.

What we heard

Brock Boeser on the Bryan Rust hit that left him concussed and resulted in a three-game suspension for the Pittsburgh Penguins forward: “It’s frustrating, obviously because there is one second left and you don’t really expect to get hit that close to the net like that. I don’t think he’s a dirty player and I think that’s his first time (suspended). But this two years in a row now (Boeser was also on receiving end of a head shot from Tanner Jeannot last season). I’m just happy that I feel good now and I’m happy to be back out here with the guys.” Boeser added that Rust reached out by text immediately after the January 25th game and apologized.
Zeev Buium on recovering from a puck to the face injury in the same game against Pittsburgh that has kept him out of the lineup for a month: “No surgery, luckily. It was just rest, and it kind of healed on its own and it’s going good so far. The plan is to be ready to play the first game back.”
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