ice in their veins

hockey may be a dead sport in the eyes of many americans, but there is one thing that cannot be disputed about its players: they are tough cats [but not literal cats].¹ in a panthers-sabres game on february 10, 2008, florida defenseman richard zednik took a ice skate to the throat, slicing open a one and a half inch wide and a one and a half inch deep cut in his neck, leaving his carotid artery 'hanging by a thread.'



after suffering that life-threatening of an injury to the neck, most people would probably fallen over like a sack of potatoes in a matter of seconds and proceed to lay there until help arrived. but not richard zednik, and i imagine not many [or more accurately, everyone except paul kariya²] hockey players would have either. remember, these are the same people who love to bare-knuckle fist-fight while on ice skates. perhaps hockey players don't suffer as serious of injuries as other players in other sports [hard to imagine given all the physical contact], but rarely do hockey players stay on the ice writhing in pain as they clutch their injured body part. but such a scene is all too common in football and basketball [see dwyane wade³], and even in baseball it occurs more frequently. but with everything, there are exceptions to the rule, and the following shows what it takes to keep a hockey player on the ground.

editor's note: the following clip may be too graphic for some people. parental and viewer discretion is advised.



¹ literally, the toughest species of cat would be the saber-toothed tiger, while the toughest individual cat would be heathcliff.
² it's worth mentioning that when paul kariya finally got to his feet, he scored a goal later in the contest as the mighty ducks of anaheim took game 6 of the 2003 stanley cup finals. the lesson as always, scott stevens is a douche.
³ i will never understand why dwyane wade needed a wheelchair after suffering a shoulder injury. i'm pretty sure he doesn't need it to walk.