Foligno explains why he fought Perry after Tavares injury

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Foligno (71) fights Montreal Canadiens forward Corey Perry (94) during the first period of Game 1. John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Maple Leafs' Nick Foligno explains why he fought Canadiens' Corey Perry after John Tavares injury

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 5/21/21

A scary situation unfolded Thursday night as Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares was stretchered off the ice and taken to the hospital after taking an accidental knee to the head from Montreal Canadiens forward Corey Perry.

Tavares fell to the ice as Perry skated by in the neutral zone. Perry just happened to hit Tavares in the head as he fell.

Scary moment when Maple Leafs captain John Tavares takes an inadvertent knee to the head from Corey Perry. #MapleLeafs | #NHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/l4l0dYO76R
— The Majors TV (@themajorstv) May 21, 2021

John Tavares gives a thumbs up from the stretcher after a scary head injurypic.twitter.com/PoMO2YRl94
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) May 21, 2021

Maple Leafs forward Nick Foligno later fought Perry, a move that many hockey fans criticized. Foligno opened up about his decision to drop the gloves and acknowledged that he did not blame the Canadiens forward for what happened.

Per Lance Hornby:

Foligno on why he took on Perry after the hit. "Our captain is laying on the ice. They would have done the same if (it was) their captain. (The hit) wasn't malicious. (The fight) takes away any grey (area). Perry's a big boy. It just allows everyone to go back and play."
— Lance Hornby (@sunhornby) May 21, 2021

After the game, Perry said what happened to Tavares made him feel "sick to his stomach."

"I honestly felt sick to my stomach when I saw him and the way he is," Perry said, via Sportsnet. "It's a scary situation. I'll reach out to him and talk to him and hopefully he's OK."

Tavares was kept in the hospital overnight for tests and monitoring. It's unlikely he returns for Game 2 of Toronto's first-round series against the Habs on Saturday after suffering such a brutal injury. For now, we'll just have to wait for an update.

More must-reads: