During the third period of the Florida Panthers-Buffalo Sabres hockey game, one of the Panthers was knocked to the ground, and as he fell his leg flew up and his skate blade struck the neck of his teammate, Richard Zednik, cutting Zednik's carotid artery. Zednik managed to skate to the bench, leaving a trail of blood.
Zednik was helped off the ice and all the medical personnel in the building rushed to his aid, while his teammates, the opposing players, and the fans stood around in stunned silence for about fifteen minutes. Thankfully, they received the news that Zednik had been stabilized and was being transported to the hospital. The packed crowd in the arena, Buffalo's ice, gave the news a rousing standing ovation. Zednik has since undergone surgery on his neck and is reported to be in stable condition in intensive care.
Despite the posturing, and the rowdiness, and the bantering and insults that often are associated with sports, no true sports fan EVER wants to see a life-threatening injury to a player, no matter how much they might jokingly call for one. I certainly have called for the heads of various athletes over the years, but never have I truly wished for something terrible to happen. The Buffalo fans showed their class by rejoicing over the news that Zednik was being helped. Those are the truest fans of all: those who love the game for the game itself, not for any violence or injuries that might come along with the game.
I am not a Panthers fan, but I am certainly rooting for Richard Zednik today.
1 comment:
Amen. I'm not a huge hockey fan, so I'd heard that a player had suffered a life-threatening injury, but I hadn't found out the deets. Those pics are insane! Glad to hear he's going to recover, and as you said, kudos to the Bflo fans for maintaining a classy, positive attitude through the mess.
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