Shattered

Newark AP Photographer Julio Cortez sees what a puck can do to his 70-200mm lens when it's hit. We were covering todays New Jersey Devils game against the Florida Panthers at the Prudential Center. Lucky for him it only shattered the protective filter. The lens was unharmed.

There are small holes in the glass at hockey arenas which allows photographers to shoot through. Sometimes things happen. Tonight was one of those nights. Moments before I had my lens get hit, but it wasn't the glass, it was the side of the lens. There is a nice black mark from the puck. I had something similar happen to me several years back, but I wasn't so lucky. I had a 300mm lens get hit by a foul ball. The lens was destroyed.

The first image shows his lens sticking through one of the holes made for photographers, to shoot through. It wasn't long after that when his lens was struck.