CHICAGO – Ducks right wing Chris Stewart was sent home Friday morning to undergo a medical examination that could determine if he has a suspected broken jaw.
Stewart will be examined Sunday after getting hit in the jaw by Columbus defenseman Dalton Prout during a fight at the end of the second period. He did not play in the third period as the Blue Jackets won, 4-3, in a shootout.
Signed to a one-year, $1.7-million deal last summer, Stewart has provided good value for the Ducks in his first season with them. The winger has eight goals and 10 assists in 47 games.
"It’s a big loss for us," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He’s played extremely well for us. He’s given us protection. He’s been a cheerleader on the bench. I have nothing but good things to say about Chris. He’s been a really good team player and leader actually for this team.
"Not knowing him in the summer when we got him, I wouldn’t have thought that."
Left wing Patrick Maroon has been in numerous bouts over the years and knows there is always risk when he decides to engage an opponent. Maroon, who fought Prout last season, is still wearing the scars of a fight Tuesday with Philadelphia's Brandon Manning.
"That’s the nature of the game," Maroon said. "The nature of our sport. Going ino the fight, you never know what’s going to happen. Either someone could get hurt. It could be a really good fight. But we don’t know what’s going to happen.
"We’re going in there just to get the team going and hopefully get a spark for the team. And hopefully good things come out of it."
Many fights end with neither combatant landing many punches. Maroon said he felt Stewart was unlucky when Prout, who's had 19 NHL fights according to hockeyfights.com, managed to connect with a right.
"Prout’s a big, strong guy and so is Stewie," Maroon said. "Stewie’s fights some pretty big boys. That wasn’t a lightweight fight by any means. Going into it, I think he was trying to get the team going and try and get a spark. Unfortunately things happen.
"It’s just a good guy like that who’s playing so well for our team. You hurt to lose him as a player. He’s a great team guy and awesome guy. He’s obviously going to be missed for a bit."
The Ducks have seen others in their organization suffer injury as a result of a fight. Longtime enforcer Brian McGrattan, who's playing for their American Hockey League affiliate in San Diego, was knocked unconscious for a brief time by San Antonio's Daniel Maggio on Jan. 19.
Even the best pugilists on the ice, Boudreau said, occasionally are on the losing end and it could have some dire consequences.
"I think everybody goes in there knowing if somebody catches me with one, it could do some damage," Boudreau said. "We all saw happened to McGrattan this year. He gets caught with one.
"Every tough guy in hockey that I’ve ever met – and I’ve been in the business for a long time – is going to get caught once the more they do that. You can’t be perfect all the time."
To replace Stewart, the Ducks recalled Nick Ritchie from the Gulls. Ritchie made his NHL debut in November and played in 11 games before being sent back down.
Ritchie, who had to fly in from Charlotte where the Gulls were going to play, has totaled 15 goals and 13 assists in 33 games. He said the message he got from the Ducks staff to work on was building more consistency into this game.
"Make sure you’re bringing it every game," Ritchie said. "It’s something I tried to focus on. Obviously it’s not going to be perfect. You’re going to have bad games, you’re going to have bad shifts.
"It’s something I’ve beeen trying to work on. Making sure you have a consistent effort as much as you can."
Chris Stewart - Jaw
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