Only a hockey player could get hit by a SUV and play the same day.
New York Islanders defenseman Brendan Witt was hit by a gold GMC Yukon truck that made an illegal left turn on Arch Street Tuesday.
"I just wanted to get a coffee," Witt said before the Flyers-Islanders game at the Wachovia Center. "I was like 'Nah, this ain't gonna happen,' and I kinda jumped up and took the brunt of it."
After being hit, Witt picked himself up, dusted himself off, shouted profanities at the driver, and then reassured witnesses that he was all right.
“It was like seeing Clint Eastwood, but in hockey,” one witness told Newsday.
The hockey player was crossing the street to get a cup of coffee at the Starbucks at 16th and Arch. Witt tried to jump on the roof of the SUV before being thrown to the ground. The 6'2, 219-pound hockey player downplayed the event saying he was "fortunate" calling the whole thing "weird."
"I'm OK...I think I might have put a dent in his truck," he said comparing the hit to a strong body check. "[The driver] apologized but I don't think I really cared at that point."
Witt didn't file an accident report saying "it would've wrecked" his morning, but he did sent some love to the Philly residents who rushed to his aid.
"I got lucky...just a little sore," Witt said. "I could have easily hurt my knee or something."
After all the hubbub, the tough guy headed over to Starbucks and got that coffee before heading over for the Islanders’ morning skate session.
The Canadian-bred player is still scheduled to play at the Wachovia Center against the Flyers tonight. He says the experience shows he can "take a lick and keep on ticking."
