No Comments

1. jar66 says:

   February 10, 2008 at 9:54 pm

   Strangely, I had just been wondering about the fans that left early. If I witnessed that in person I’d have a hard time readjusting to goto more games.
2. Wolf says:

   February 10, 2008 at 10:06 pm

   Kevin, we were all wondering how you’d explain that to the young’un. Glad you guys got out before it happened.
3. Chris says:

   February 10, 2008 at 10:37 pm

   Amazingly fluky play. Good to hear Zednik is in stable condition.
4. Seth says:

   February 10, 2008 at 10:41 pm

   NHL Network just reported he is out of surgery, and resting comfortably.
5. thesportsroadtrip2 says:

   February 10, 2008 at 11:29 pm

   Dammit Kev, I thought I walked by Martin after they were done! Was watching the nearby monitor and all that stuff.

   Trivial note, I do feel bad about Kaleta’s 1st NHL goal overshadowed by an event like that. Helluvan incident to remember that night by.
6. Alicia says:

   February 10, 2008 at 11:50 pm

   I had seats directly across ice from the team benches and saw the entire thing. He completely passed out once he got into the hallway and his teammates had to drag him down. It was such a horrible thing to witness, and completely by accident.
7. Johnny K says:

   February 11, 2008 at 6:42 am

   It’s time for the NHL to respond the way NASCAR did with the Dale Earhardt death…The NHLPA needs to develop a “collar” made of the same material shark-bite suits are made of (or some variation) for all players to wear around their necks. The way he slumped I thought he bled-out. I’m thrilled he’s ok…but no player or his family should go through the same thing again.
8. Jim says:

   February 11, 2008 at 7:07 am

   First, thank God Richard is OK. Secondly, I agree with Johnny K. My son has played youth hockey since he was 5 and is currently on his High School team. The rare times I will ever get in his face is if he shows up on the ice without a neck guard. While the players don’t like them, the fans and families love their players being alive.
9. TreyPutt says:

   February 11, 2008 at 7:24 am

   Between Kevin Everett and Richard Zednik, I don’t know whether to think Buffalo is eternally cursed or divinely blessed. It is incredible that those two incidents did not turn out much worse and is a real tribute to the medical professionals on call during these events.
10. Johnny K says:

    February 11, 2008 at 7:46 am

    Trey-
    Buffalo is not cursed. I would have to give the nod to the professionalism and talent of the medical community. I’m also proud of the the empathy and class the Sabres fans showed yesterday. We’ve been there and done that.
11. Wolf says:

    February 11, 2008 at 8:14 am

    Here’s the article on ESPN.com this morning.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3240117

    I’m still in shock… it doesn’t get any easier to watch 12 hours later. Thank God he’s ok. I almost feel worse for Jokinen. That poor guy has got to be a mess right now.

    On another note… I didn’t bring this up last night because it was obviously not the time or the place, but I had no idea Colin Campbell’s kid played for Florida. I’ve always thought that Campbell was biased in his enforcement of the rules in general, but this adds a whole new twist. I’ve got a problem with the guy who’s in charge of enforcing rules and handing out punishment having a son playing on a team in the league. Is it me, or does that present a pretty significant conflict of interest for the league?
12. Seth says:

    February 11, 2008 at 9:01 am

    It’s interesting that every story online, exceot for the one on NHL.com includes Jokinen’s “We shouldn’t have finished the game..” quote.:

    NHL.com story:http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=353025
13. Johnny K says:

    February 11, 2008 at 9:02 am

    Wolf- My take is – I’d only worry about a conflict of interest if his kid started behaving like Dale Hunter, Darius Kasparitis or Chris Simon. Plus, I’m sure he’d recuse himself if such a situation occurred.
14. trevor says:

    February 11, 2008 at 9:11 am

    Oh my God Johnny K, no it is NOT time for the NHL to mandate those stupid ass collars. My high school league did the same damn thing after the Malarchuk incident (ask Keller, who played for Lockport), and I practically felt like I was suffocating with that piece of crap was around my neck, especially in the hot ass rinks in Buffalo.

    They’ve sold those collars for years now, and if players want to wear them they’re perfectly within their right to do so. Neither do I agree with Jim, who concurred with you, because as he himself admits, both players and parents are smart enough to figure out whether the benefits of wearing them outweigh the costs.

    Your range of neck motion is completely hindered with these things (at least when you’re forced to wear one after years of going without). You retain heat around your head, which takes the focus off your play, which can lead to getting creamed by another player if you’re more preoccupied with equipment than skating.

    It’s probably different if you’ve been used to one since you were three, but you can’t entirely eliminate risk. If parents truly are concerned, a smarter option would be to encourage doctors to volunteer during youth games at local rinks, or something of that effect that could reduce the potential of catastropic injury in a variety of cases.
15. Johnny K says:

    February 11, 2008 at 9:59 am

    Trevor-
    With the advances in technolgy- I’m certain some type of Kevlar/cloth combination (I’m obviously no chemist or engineer) can be developed that isn’t as hot (believe me, I’m well aware of it). We’ve heard the same type of resistance with helmets, remember? And I don’t have any loss of range of motion if I wear a turtleneck shirt. Just like seatbelts, people are within their rights to resist. However, those folks are the first ones to cry about not being protected. Luck should be taken out of the equation and common sense take over- before someone gets killed.
16. Dave S. says:

    February 11, 2008 at 10:27 am

    Common sense says that this injury has happened twice in the history of the NHL. The players are probably in 10,000 times more danger driving to the rink.
17. trevor says:

    February 11, 2008 at 10:30 am

    Maybe we should just have players skate around in full body armor, or bubble wrap, or heck, just ban skates altogether in favor of sneakers. Broomball is the shit!

    While we’re at it we can ban sticks too, because there’s always asshats like Chris Simon who will use them as axes.

    Look, I’m not saying the market shouldn’t provide safer gear if the demand’s there for it; I’m just against mandating prohibitive equipment because of an event that occurs .00001 percent of the time – especially at the pro level, where adults are old enough to make their own decisions about their safety.

    I still believe players should be free to go helmetless and drivers shouldn’t be forced to wear seatbelts. I would wear both regardless of rules/laws, but it doesn’t mean everyone should have to.
18. Ellie Oxnard says:

    February 11, 2008 at 10:33 am

    This whole scenario is equivalent to a plane crash; though rare, both are violent and horrifying. Recent air crashes haven’t stopped people from flying and I don’t think that this incident will encourage the NHL to adopt protective collars. It’s been 19 years since the previous incident so I think the NHL has a pretty good safety record. I would be more concerned with mandating helmets be properly fastened; career ending concussions are on the rise.

    All our best to Zed! He’s a real NHL Tough guy!
19. dave in Rocha says:

    February 11, 2008 at 10:33 am

    So I’m listening to XM Home Ice at work now, and they have had a couple new points on the story:

    1) Zednik might fly back to Florida today. Good to hear.
    2) Denis Potvin, the Panthers’ color guy, said that he was chatting with the team doctor afterward. According to the doctor, the biggest fear wasn’t so much the amount of blood lost, but the possibility that the blood would clot and then move to the brain. Wow. Really glad to hear that didn’t happen.
20. Matt S. says:

    February 11, 2008 at 10:40 am

    @ Johnny K (#7): Someone brought that up here at the office this morning.

    What a load of baloney. Both hockey players and race car drivers know that they’re putting their lives on the ice every time they go out there. If they don’t want to risk it, try bowling or checkers or some shit like that.
21. Matt S. says:

    February 11, 2008 at 10:41 am

    line* not ice.
22. trevor says:

    February 11, 2008 at 10:43 am

    Dave – Or stroke or heart attack due to trauma. What’s amazing is that this incident was virtually routine for those docs.

    If there is one lesson to be learned from this accident and the ensuing hyperventilation over the need to mandate neck guards, etc., it’s that people should be FREE of suffocating regulations – the same freedom that has enabled the private sector to attract the smartest people to practice medicine and that allowed for the very best physicians to be on hand at the rink last night.
23. Johnny K says:

    February 11, 2008 at 11:01 am

    Matt S.- If risk can be minimized through additional protection, then its the prudent thing to do. What may come as a surprise to you and Trevor- I actually agree with much of what your saying. However, there would be people reacting much differently this morning if Sidney Crosby was on the receiving end of that blade. The Hans device was a simple and relatively inexpensive piece of protection (by NASCAR standards) and would have saved Dale Sr. from a “run-of-the-mill” wreck. The hockey equivalent as currently engineered runs – what – $20. Believe me, the “it’s too hot” defense wouldn’t fly.
24. trevor says:

    February 11, 2008 at 11:21 am

    Well, I actually view every life as equally important, so it really wouldn’t matter whether it was Crosby or not. I understand your point, but you can’t expect people to compromise positions on common sense and freedom just because there are imbeciles running around. If anything, your example should serve to reinforce my point.

    All risk can be eliminated by “additional protection.” That’s not the question. The question is AT WHAT COST? Shit, we could get rid of all those evil speeders and people who don’t signal when changing lanes if we only put the military on every street corner!! What a life!
25. Johnny K says:

    February 11, 2008 at 11:27 am

    Trevor-
    I’d love to engage in a discussion about social issues and our litigious society. But, to answer your question about cost…I answered that above: $20.
26. Brenda says:

    February 11, 2008 at 11:35 am

    You know, I was at the game with my 13yo son, who is old enough to understand fully what was going on, and I was certain to explain to him the severity of the situation, and was proud when he rose to his feet even before I did. However, in the stands, all around me, we kids. Little kids. 5, 6, 7 year old kids. I hope that they were either too young to really understand what was happening or that their parents were wise enough to explain to them without causing them to have nightmares.

    It was a absolutely horrific experience. I am so grateful that he is going to be OK, I am so grateful that Buffalo had the medical staff on hand that it had on hand, that they were prepared for this, and were able to act quickly and efficiently in getting him stabilized and off to Buf Gen. And I hope to God I never see that again.
27. trevor says:

    February 11, 2008 at 11:38 am

    Johnny K, if you actually think my comment about cost was merely related to money, you have missed the entire point of what I’ve been saying.
28. Ben says:

    February 11, 2008 at 11:43 am

    trev,

    I’m trying to fight the urge to respond but I cannot. I’m glad you’re willing to let people go seat belt-less and drive up MY insurance costs because of it. It’s one thing that you’ll never get straight in your mind. You can’t check out of society. You can’t claim to make these decisions about your freedom and pretend that they don’t affect the rest of us. They do. Neck-guards in the NHL may not fall under this category, but mandated seat belts most certainly do. Every person who chooses to not wear a seatbelt is making a decision that CAN and DOES affect my life.

    You cannot check out of society, no matter how much you wish you could. Your decisions affect me, and they affect everyone else, and opting out simply cannot always be an option.
29. trevor says:

    February 11, 2008 at 11:44 am

    To shift gears, I particularly enjoyed this quote in TBN:

    “That probably puts one of my worst games in perspective,” said defenseman Brian Campbell, who had three assists but again struggled with the puck in his own end.

    That’s right, Brian. Now put this in perspective: You ain’t worth anything close to 6.5 mil.
30. Johnny K says:

    February 11, 2008 at 11:45 am

    Trevor-
    Civil liberty is certainly what you were referring to. However, I ask you- Why did the NHL install nets behind goals when that girl was killed in Columbus? These types of incidents are foreseeable and are preventable. Where you see a violation of civil liberty, I see a social responsibility to protect and take care of oneanother. That’s not a dig at you, but hopefully a better expression of my position.
31. trevor says:

    February 11, 2008 at 11:56 am

    Ben, I’m glad you responded so I can point out why you’re wrong. I honestly can’t believe you can write such dribble when you’re the SAME person who takes such a principled stand about the right of Wilson to move the Bills/the fact the team trades services to consumers willingly parting with their own money, etc.

    This incident is apples and oranges compared to seat belts in the first place. The government mandates seat belt use because the insurance industry has successfully (and immorally) lobbied the state to impose such laws so they can keep their rates down. It’s much more ‘convenient’ than having to impose policies that might drive away customers and, god forbid, decrease revenues.

    You argue that seat belt use saves us all money, and that’s undoubtedly true. But it should be the companies themselves mandating their use if drivers want to be covered. If companies don’t pay out for drivers who’ve been injured because they didn’t wear a seat belt, costs can’t go up for anyone else. But it’s obviously easier not to have to look like the ‘bad guy’ because the gummint’s made our decision for us. What bullshit.

    Saying someone who doesn’t wear a seat belt affects your life is as dumb as saying someone who smokes does because you have to pay for his lung cancer treatments. But you miss the point entirely: believing we should foot the bills for other people’s shit is a problem of socialism, NOT of whatever lifestyle has caused an ailment in the first place.

    Why would you prevent insurance companies from competing for our business based on whether they do or do not mandate seat belt use?
32. trevor says:

    February 11, 2008 at 12:01 pm

    Johnny K – I don’t see any civil liberties abuses in the private sphere, which the NHL certainly is. If they want to install nets, neck guards, visors, foam padding – they can. I’m just saying there’s nothing wrong with leaving the choice up to the individual.

    If you’re scared your neck might get cut, wear a guard. Scared you might get hit by a puck? Don’t go to the game.

    Personally, I think the nets were probably a smart decision. It’s one thing for players to be at risk and another for the people contributing all the potential revenue.

    I didn’t mean to imply anything sports-related should be looked upon the same as civil liberties abuses by the state – though as we see with the Bill and NY’s senators, these two things are apparently inextricably linked nowadays. What a joke.
33. Ben says:

    February 11, 2008 at 12:56 pm

    Trev,

    I think the issue is that you’re not addressing the connections that already exist and are completely unavoidable.

    I’m not against smoking because I’d have to pay for someone’s lung cancer treatments (insurance is all about that). I’m against it because no matter what, society as a whole has to pay for someone’s lung cancer treatments. If someone choose to smoke because it’s his prerogative and chooses to not have health insurance, what do we do when he collapses in the middle of the McD’s floor? Who pays the EMTs, the Ambulance, the doctors? who pays his treatments? who pays his costs? Who pays for the maintenance on the road so that the authorities can drive to the McDs to treat him? Do we just let him writhe and die on the floor because he opted out of these things? Who pays to clean up the body? Who raises his/her children? Who pays lawyers to figure out the estate? If we let every sick person who doesn’t have insurance curl up and die who replaces the economic hit to our productivity as a country?

    The problem isn’t the direct costs I face from someone else’ choices. Clearly since I buy insurance (even when it’s not mandated) I’m comfortable helping to pay for other people. The problem is the cost to society as a whole. The oversight of the “it’s my choice and my choice alone” position is that it ignores all of the thousands of connections that each of our choices have on the rest of society. Life is a footrace, but we’re all bungied to one-another and the simple fact is that the people at the front of the race are limited in how fast they can run by the people in the back. Sometimes those front-runners have to give a little help to the folks in back so they can take advantage of more of their potential.

    Seat belts are an extreme example but they ARE an example where your decision to where one or not clearly affects the rest of our lives, regardless of the obvious insurance implications.
34. Ben says:

    February 11, 2008 at 1:06 pm

    Regarding the Wilson thing I happen to believe that making a financially successful free-market choice in this situation is better for everyone, Buffalo included. I think it’s sad that the Bills will leave, but making an economically correct move is a positive for all of society.
35. trevor says:

    February 11, 2008 at 1:07 pm

    Ben, you should be commended for perfectly explaining the folly of government control of everything.
36. Ben says:

    February 11, 2008 at 1:28 pm

    Government control over everything would be silly but without the government control of SOME things we wouldn’t be here today.

    I guess it’s just the recognition that every issue falls not on one extreme or the other but somewhere in the gray area in between and it’s up to us to pull and tug and eventually settle on an acceptable compromise for each issue.
37. Wolf says:

    February 11, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    Time out for a Zednik update…

    http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3240651

    According to this article, the skate severed the carotid artery and just missed also severing the jugular vein. He is stable but will remain in intensive care.

    There’s also an article on the Florida Panthers website stating that further updates will be available this afternoon.
38. Ben says:

    February 11, 2008 at 2:47 pm

    Thanks Wolf, I’ve been keeping an eye out for updates.
39. Mark says:

    February 11, 2008 at 4:51 pm

    just an fyi you spell his name wrong on the headline…no C.
40. Mark says:

    February 11, 2008 at 4:53 pm

    whoops…its only wrong on the WNYmedia page…my bad.

    i’ve met zednik a few times in his DC days…really class guy-everyone likes him.
41. Eric P. says:

    February 11, 2008 at 6:20 pm

    I thought it was interesting that Channel 2 News at 11 pm kept saying that a players “throat was cut” (they used that phrase at least five times). They had obviously made a decision that the “throat was cut” sounded more sensational than a serious neck cut. As serious a story as this already is / was, Channel 2 had to make it sound just a bit more juicy – like maybe there had been a knife fight or something.

    I hope Zednick will be ok. I don’t have much hope for Ch. 2.
42. Wolf says:

    February 11, 2008 at 7:37 pm

    More updates…

    From TBN – a rather gruesome comparison…

    http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabresnhl/story/273969.html

    Also, and I’m not sure what the source is here, but the CBS Sportsline fantasy page for Zednik, of all places, states that he lost 5 units of blood… FIVE UNITS! If a unit is what they take out of me every time I give blood, HOLY CRAP!

    http://www.sportsline.com/nhl/players/playerpage/19418

    A quick Google search confirms that the average human body contains 10-12 units of blood. Based on that stat, Zednik lost roughly half his blood last night. It’s amazing that he made it back to the bench under his own power.
43. Wolf says:

    February 11, 2008 at 7:49 pm

    One more… from the Florida Panthers web site, here is a link to post wel wishes to Zednik. I, for one, will be posting a message.

    http://panthers.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=353054