Scary Moment On Ice

I don't really have much time to do a run down this evening but I didn't want to let a day go by without talking about this scary and sad story.

If you haven't heard, the Florida Panthers' Slovakian forward Richard Zednik had his carotid artery nearly severed by the skate of his teammate, Olin Jokinen, in a freak accident after Jokinen fell to the ice head first during a game in Buffalo against the Buffalo Sabres.

Zednik has the wherewithal to clutch his neck and leave the ice immediately, which was about the best he could do in a situation in which he could have died in a very short amount of time, especially if the artery had been completely severed.

Zednik's currently in stable condition.

Fans and players were a little upset that the game continued despite the injury. This is a tough one to call. I am sure the players were shaken because they weren't sure if he was near death or what his condition was. Especially for his teammate whose skate did the cutting. I would assume hockey players know the seriousness of getting cut in any major artery, much less the one that connects to your brain, so it must have been quite difficult to keep playing for all of them. They did announce an update at the game, which provoked a standing ovation from the Sabres' fans.

It's funny (not "haha" funny, but coincidence funny) because whenever I think of hockey, I think of freak accidents like that happening, like getting one's fingers cut off or getting cut in the face. I am surprised things like this don't happen more often. I heard there were a few other recent accidents like this in the NHL involving people getting cut with skates. I would hope that they will use this as an opportunity to protect them with at least one layer between their skin and the ice, particularly when it comes to the potential to sever major arteries.

I just pray that he makes it out of this OK and doesn't have any lasting residual damage, for him and for his family.