Zednik in stable condition after being sliced on neck by skate

Zednik in stable condition after being sliced on neck by skate
Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Panthers forward Richard Zednik had blood gushing from a deep cut on the right side of his neck after being struck by a teammate's skate during the third period of Florida's 5-3 loss to Buffalo on Sunday night.

Zednik was behind the play and skating into the right corner of the Sabres' zone, when teammate Olli Jokinen was upended by Sabres defenseman Brian Campbell. Jokinen fell head-first to the ice, and his right leg flew up and struck Zednik directly on the side of the neck.

Clutching his neck, Zednik immediately raced to the Florida bench, leaving a long trail of blood. A Sabres trainer jumped on the ice to apply a towel across the player's neck, and Zednik was immediately escorted to the Panthers' dressing room.

Players and coaches on both benches looked on in shock, and a silent hush fell over the crowd at HSBC Arena. The game was delayed for more than 15 minutes as crews scraped the blood from the ice.

"Richard Zednik is in stable condition and on his way to a Buffalo hospital," was the announcement over the loudspeaker.

The crowd stood in applause during the announcement.

Prior to resuming the game, referee Bill McCreary and Panthers coach Jacques Martin consulted in the tunnel outside the Panthers' dressing room.

Sabres general manager Darcy Regier was also spotted talking with NHL vice president Colin Campbell. Campbell, the league's director of hockey operations, attended the game in part because his son, Gregory Campbell, plays for the Panthers.

Credit ESPN. It really is amazing that things like this don't happen more often. The video really is a scary sight to see as it could've been a lot worse.