Juraj Slafkovsky injury at the Olympics scare sends shockwaves through Montreal and Slovakia

Juraj Slafkovsky went down hard during Slovakia’s Olympic clash with Germany, and it wasn't pretty.

The Canadiens' star winger got tripped up near the wall in what looked like a routine battle for the puck. But gravity took over.

He didn't just fall. He launched head-first into the glass at an awkward angle that made your stomach turn immediately.

Slafkovsky stayed down. He didn't pop right back up. That’s the scary part.

He eventually got to his feet, but he looked shaken. The cameras caught him later on the bench with a massive ice pack wrapped around his neck.

Before the incident, he was eating minutes. He had already banked an assist and logged about 12 minutes of ice time. He looked like the best player on the ice until the fall.

This is exactly why NHL GMs lose sleep over the Olympics.

You lend your biggest assets to the national team and pray they come back in one piece. Sometimes, they don't.

Slafkovsky isn't just a roster player anymore. He's the engine of this rebuild. He's the 2022 first overall pick who finally figured out how to use his size to dominate.

We don't know the full extent of the damage yet. Head and neck injuries are tricky. And international medical staffs don't mess around with protocol.

He walked off under his own power. That's the only silver lining right now.

But seeing him with that ice pack suggests this isn't just a bruise.

If this keeps him out long-term, the rest of the Canadiens' season just became a lot harder to watch.