Richard Zednik Cut by Skate

It was a pretty scary incident last night in Buffalo. The city was once again subject to an on-ice near-death situation due to a skate blade cutting a player's neck. First it was Clint Malarchuk in 1989, and yesterday it was Florida Panthers forward Richard Zednik. For the squeamish, don't watch this video because there is plenty of blood.




According to reports, Zednik lost 5 of his 8 units of blood on the ice. There was so much blood on the ice, that Buffalo was forced to bring out the Zamboni to clean it up. There was question about whether the game would go on, but after about a 15-20 minute delay, the game continued.

Interestingly enough, the same doctor in Buffalo who helped Zednik to the hospital was the same doctor who attended to Kevin Everett, the Buffalo Bills Lineman who was thought to be paralyzed for life after being hit in a game last year.

The doctors who treated him also said that Zednik's carotid artery was cut 3/4 of the way, literally hanging on by a thread. It was as if someone took a knife to his throat. Luckily Zed is just fine, and should be able to resume his life in about 6-8 weeks. Hopefully we'll see him back in action on the ice sooner rather than later.

Here is a picture going around the internet that really shows the seriousness of the cut. Again, if you are squeamish, do not look.