Scary Night in Buffalo

Richard Zednik of the Florida Panthers was hit in the neck with a teammates skate during the 3rd period of last night’s game between the Panthers and the Sabres. Zednik immediately fell to the ice with blood pouring from his neck. I have never seen anything like that. He got up on his own accord and skated to the bench where he literally looked limp in the trainer’s arms. Reports are that he collapsed in the tunnel on the way to the dressing room. He was stabilized and rushed to a Buffalo Hospital where he under went emergency surgery to close the gash in his neck. Word out of Buffalo was that they were able to stop the bleeding on route to the hospital by clamping down on his artery. SCARY stuff. The Panthers chartered his wife on a flight from Florida to Buffalo so she could be with her husband. Click HERE and HERE to the see the videos of of both teams broadcasts. You can see the 3 different pools of blood and the trail all the way to the bench. How he had enough awareness to skate over to the bench on his own is beyond me. One thing is for sure, it probably saved crucial seconds that in the end may have saved his life.Latest reports are that Zednik is stable and recovering from surgery. Our prayers go out to him and his family.

This wasn't the first time fans in Buffalo witnessed such a terrible accident. Almost 20 years ago Buffalo goalie Clint Malarchuck had his carotid artery cut by a skate. He somehow survived. You can watch that video by clicking HERE . The video is pretty graphic so if you have a weak stomach I would recommend not clicking on the link.

Click HERE for an updated article about the accident and Zednik's current condition.

--BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Florida Panthers forward Richard Zednik required lifesaving surgery after severing his carotid artery, his agent told The Associated Press on Monday.
Zednik had surgery Sunday night and was in stable condition at a Buffalo hospital after losing a significant amount of blood during the game at Buffalo earlier in the day, agent David Schatia said. Schatia didn't have further details because he had just arrived in Montreal following a trip oversees.
Zednik was sliced across the right side of the throat by teammate Olli Jokinen's skate in a frightening accident midway through the third period of Buffalo's 5-3 victory.

Canada's Sportsnet cable-TV network reported on its Web site that the skate blade just missed cutting the jugular vein--