Kenopka skate to neck?

[malts4me]

Hey all... i've heard twice now that Kenopka took a skate to the neck and had to have emergency surgery. One person told me they saw it online... I can't find a thing. Anyone know?

[hattrick]

I have heard all over the news this morning that one of the Florida Panthers took a skate to the neck and needed emergency surgery. Zednick I belive but I do not have time to look it up.

[whispers]

Yes-- I saw it this morning on the Today show. There is also an article on Yahoo sports.
Sounds as though he is stable and doing OK.
I could not believe what I had seen on the reply this morning!

[malts4me]

Ahh... I don't know how anyone got Kenopka out of Zednick. Thanks.

[RedWings]

youtube has got a number of reports on it. Reminds me of the Clint Malarchuk incident in Buffalo when he got his carotid cut. Glad to hear Zednick is doing well today.

[griffan]

redwings said:

youtube has got a number of reports on it. Reminds me of the Clint Malarchuk incident in Buffalo when he got his carotid cut. Glad to hear Zednick is doing well today.

I remember the Malarchuk incident too. Both of these could have had a tragic ending if not for the quick actions of the medical staffs present and the hospital staff.

I'm glad to hear that Zednick is stable and wish him the best.

Brian

[hattrick]

Hope he is doing well.

I can't believe that people actually want to go out and see replay of the incident.

[whispers]

I in all honesty can say I wish I would not have seen the footage from this injury!

It is a horrible accident!

[Glistening Wings]

I'm glad I didn't see it...Don't have a strong stomach for things like that.

Thank god Zednick is okay. That could have been a horrible tragedy, but thankfully it turned out to be okay. I wish him all the best in his recovery.

[RedWings]

Here's a followup article on Zednik's status. He seems to be doing well.

But you gotta check out the fans comments/response at the end of the article.

'I Felt Like Somebody Stabbed Me'
By SARAH LARIMER,AP Sports
Posted: 2008-02-22 09:59:45
Filed Under: NHL
SUNRISE, Fla. (Feb. 21) -Richard Zednik felt a stabbing pain in his neck and knew he had to get to the bench - fast. Once there, the Florida Panthers right wing thought of his 4-year-old daughter, Ella.

"I remember thinking, 'Am I going to see her grow up?"' Zednik said.

The ghastly accident happened Feb. 10 in Buffalo. Teammate Olli Jokinen was upended and his skate swung up, slashing Zednik's neck. His carotid artery was sliced but not completely severed, and the blade missed his jugular vein.

"I felt like somebody stabbed me," Zednik said Thursday at his first news conference since the injury. "I knew exactly what happened and I knew exactly what I had to do. ... When I got to the bench, I knew it was an artery, the way the blood was going. I don't want to think about it, but I was in pretty bad shape."

Zednik underwent surgery and was discharged from Buffalo General Hospital a week ago. He returned to South Florida a day later. Now he wants to play as soon as possible.

"I can't wait to get back and be with the guys," he said.

The 32-year-old Zednik bears a long red scar down the right side of his scruffy neck, courtesy of the surgery. The scar intersects the 1 1/2 inch cut left by Jokinen's skate.

Zednik said that during his recovery he's been shopping for cars online and spending time with Ella. The Panthers' Web site has received more than 20,000 get-well messages. Zednik also took a call from the president of his native Slovakia, Ivan Gasparovic.

"It was short," Zednik said. "He's such a nice guy."

A video of the accident posted online has been viewed more than a million times, but Zednik said he has seen the footage only once and won't watch it again. He said he was at first hesitant to see it, but curiosity took over.

"At first when I was in the Buffalo hospital, I was like, 'No, I don't want to watch.' I was like still kind of in shock. But then when I got back to Florida ... I was curious, exactly, how the skate came to the neck," he said. "I watched it once. That's enough."

It's doubtful Zednik will return this season. Florida coach Jacques Martin said he expects Zednik's recovery to take about eight weeks. The regular season ends April 5, and there may be no postseason for the Panthers.

Still, the team was glad to find Zednik on the mend.

"It's nice to see Richard back and looking good," Martin said. "Knowing that he can fully recover is what I think is most important."

Zednik's accident came nearly two decades after the neck of Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk was slashed in a similar accident. Malarchuk recovered but later struggled with nightmares and flashbacks.

He has tried to get a message to Zednik through the Panthers' front office, but Zednik said he'd rather not discuss the injury.

"I don't think it's something I want to talk about," he said. "I want to focus on my career. I just think I'll be OK."

Few NHL players wear neck guards, but Zednik is now thinking about how he can better protect himself. Neck guards generally are used in the junior and amateur levels, not the pros.

"For sure, I'm going to look for something," he said.

A 12-year veteran, Zednik has 15 goals and 11 assists in 54 games this season, his first with the Panthers. He didn't manage a point over 16 games from Dec. 28 to Feb. 1, but he had six goals and three assists in the four games that preceded the game in which he was hurt.

"I think his teammates really care for Richard," Martin said. "The fact that we know he's going to recover fully and he can get back to enjoying life - I think that's a big lift."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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tigergal09 03:25:54 PM Feb 22 2008
omg poor guy


doctorfoot 03:19:23 PM Feb 22 2008
Not only did two players almost have their throats cut in Buffalo, but that's where OJ played. Think there is connection?