National Hockey League

Two Coyotes teammates were involved in a violent collision before game

Published Mar. 14, 2017 6:58 a.m. ET

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Pete Blackburn

It hasn't been a great year for the Coyotes. They're struggling in the standings, in attendance, and in the fight to remain in Arizona. It seems that they can't do much right these days -- even pregame warmups.

On Monday night in Glendale, two Coyotes teammates were involved in a violent pregame collision that left both of them shaken up. Shane Doan, the team's 40-year-old captain, got distracted while taking a lap around the ice and ended up skating straight into the backside of 18-year-old rookie defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

The impact was pretty rough and Doan, who wasn't wearing a helmet at the time, ended up missing the start of the game as he underwent evaluation. He returned to the Coyotes bench with a little over five minutes remaining in the first period.

If you're someone who believes in the mantra "everything happens for a reason," this incident can symbolize the team's struggle to find success while meshing older veterans with raw youth in recent years. Or, if you don't need to find meaning in everything, this is just an ugly accident that thankfully didn't result in serious injury.

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