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Teammate's Skate Opens NHL Player's Jugular Vein

Forward OK after 'terrifying' throat injury
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 11, 2008 6:18 AM CST
Teammate's Skate Opens NHL Player's Jugular Vein
Florida Panthers right winger Richard Zednik, center, of Slovakia is helped off the ice by a trainer and Panthers defenseman Jassen Cullimore during the third period of a NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, N.Y. on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008. Buffalo won 5-3. (AP Photo/Don Heupel)   (Associated Press)

A NHL game in Buffalo last night was marred by what one player called "the worst thing I've ever seen" on the ice—a freak accident in which a falling Florida Panthers player slashed teammate Richard Zednik's neck with his skate. Zednik left a trail of blood as he staggered to the bench clutching his neck and was rushed into surgery, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

"Blood was flying out of his throat," said teammate Olli Jokinen, whose skate blade sliced Zednik. "It makes me feel sick. It was terrifying." Shortly after Zednik left the rink, a loudspeaker announcement said he was in stable condition, and fans stood and applauded. Zednik underwent successful surgery to repair his jugular vein and was resting comfortably, the Buffalo News reports. (More NHL stories.)

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