Hockey Broadcaster John Giannone Hit In The Face By Puck [Video]

New York City, NY – John Giannone got some unwanted television facetime last night: He took a puck to the face at the end of the second period of the NHL game between the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers.

But he was a gamer and continued broadcasting even as the blood flowed. The Rangers eventually won the hockey game 4-1.

John Giannone is a sideline reporter for the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Network and responded on the air to being accidentally hit in the face by a puck from Rangers’ defenseman Marc Staal.

“It’s all good. Marc Staal came over and apologized.

“I literally kept my eye on the puck, I’ll tell you that.”

Rangers trainer Jim Ramsay rendered some immediate first aid to Giannone.

According to the New York Daily News, Marc Staal commented after the game about how his pass accidentally hit John Giannone on the bridge of the nose:

“It looked bad when I hit him. He’ll look like one of us tomorrow. I felt bad. It was a rolling puck and as soon as I let it go, I could see him not even looking. He’s lucky it was a backhand.”

The Big Lead website quipped that even broadcasters have to be tough to cover the NHL:

“In hockey, even the media members are tough. John Giannone, a reporter for the Rangers on MSG, took a puck to the face during Thursday’s Rangers-Islanders game. Marc Staal of the Rangers lifted the puck off the ice and into the tiny booth which Giannone resides during games. It left Giannone with a cut that required medical attention, but he stayed at his post and continued to work while blood poured down his face. No hockey player would have ever respected him if he had left the game.”

Watch John Giannone take a puck to the face during the Islanders-Rangers game:

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