Ryan Reaves delivers brutal open-ice hit to Detroit Red Wings’ Filip Hronek with injured defender

Minnesota Wild’s Ryan Reaves sent Filip Hronek into another dimension on Wednesday night with a brutal hit on his Detroit opponent.

Known for his great mouth game, Reaves added another collector’s item to his showreel, pulverizing an unsuspecting Hronek in the first period with a 0-0 tie.

The Red Wings defenseman carried the puck to the neutral zone before Reaves delivered the heavy blow.

There was an audible gasp around the Xcel Energy Center as Hronek hit the ice with verisimilitude.

Twitter remained split on whether it was foul play or whether the victim, Hronek, should have shown more awareness.

Former Red Wings champion, Darren McCarty tweeted in support of the hit, but criticized the NHL’s inconsistent approach to head-high contact, implying it shouldn’t go unpunished under the current NHL rating.

‘Clean hit in my time. Reaves does nothing but his job and destroys Hronek. By being a smaller player and leaning forward in the middle of the ice, you are one [target].

‘That’s clean and accepted. In 1995 I have a problem with @NHL because I was told they care about headshots.”

Former NHL players and commentators differed on whether the hit was indeed a fair play

Hockey writer Jeff Veillette had a contrasting perspective, shocked by observers who felt it was fair game.

“Impressed by the number of ‘perfect clean hit’ answers already here, I know some people are desperate to protect an earlier era of hockey, but Reaves drives right through Hronek’s face here,” Veillette wrote.

“If you can’t admit this isn’t safe, you’re looking for bloodlust, not the game.”

Reaves also put wood on Red Wing’s Ben Chiarot defender before throwing punches

Hronek left the ice after the incident and did not return to the game. The check was not called for a penalty that allowed Reaves to play through.

He continued to inflict further damage throughout the game, laying the wood on Ben Chiarot before the pair threw punches.

Minnesota Wild went on to win their third straight game as they took Detroit 4-1.

Fans also disagreed on whether Reaves should have been punished for putting Hronek down