Real Life Meets Sports: Richard Zednik's Sunday Night

Every so often an event happens that reminds us that a sport is the same now as it was when we were kids: it's still just a game

There are those of us who are lucky enough to be blessed with talents that allow us to play these games that we love for a living—a means to support our families.

But as with any other job, there are dangers—life threatening dangers—and whether you are cautious or not, sometimes those dangers just find you.

Well, those dangers caught up with Richard Zednik.

On Sunday's game versus the Buffalo Sabres, Zednik's Florida Panthers were trailing 4-3. Fellow Panther Oli Jokinen was being checked in the corner of the Buffalo zone.

Jokinen fell forward, and his skate clipped a standing Zednik in the neck. Zednik proceeded to bleed profusely from his neck, but was able to stay on his skates and make his way towards the Panthers trainer, who rushed Zednik back to the locker room. Zednik's footsteps could be traced from the corner to the bench by the trail of blood he left following his accident.

At that point, Zednik was listed as stable and is currently undergoing surgery in a Buffalo-area hospital.

It had been nearly 20 years since Buffalo had witnessed an event as grotesque and horrifying as this.

Back in March of 1989, Sabres goalie Clint Malarchuk was struck in the throat by a skate from a collision at the top of his crease between Uwe Krupp and Steve Tuttle. The skate sliced Malarchuk's internal carotid artery and death on the ice became a very real possibility as Malarchuk rose up from a pool of his own blood-a pool that reached the size of the Sabres' logo within four seconds.

It could have become a reality too—if not for Sabres' trainer Jim Pizzutelli.

Pizzutelli, a former medic in Vietnam who did the only thing he could do—stick his hand into Malarchuk's neck and pinch of the artery—keeping Malarchuk from dying of blood loss.

Malarchuk himself was convinced that his death as imminent as he rushed off the ice.

"All I wanted to do was get off the ice, my mother was watching the game on TV, and I didn't want her to see me die."

Malarchuk had seemingly accepted his fate, but he cared enough not to have his mother's most recent memory of him be a bloody mass slumped on the ice.

One can only imagine what went through Richard Zednik's mind—was it something akin to Malarchuk's thoughts? Not wanting his wife and four-year-old daughter to remember him as a victim of a horrific accident, but the loving human being that he was?

One can only imagine what goes through any body's mind (athlete or otherwise) if something as frightening as this happens.

Broadcasters begged for the camera angles to be changed as Malarchuk's situation was realized by those in the crowd—for if these were his final moments, they felt that he deserved more than to be a spectacle to hundreds of thousands of viewers.

Fans, fellow players, coaches, management, and NHL Vice President Colin Campbell sat in silent shock at what had transpired—they're immediate thoughts and prayers going out to Richard Zednik during a fifteen minute delay.

To this day, Bill Masterton remains the only man to die from injuries suffered directly from an NHL game, and the Bill Masterton Trophy is given annually to the player that displays perseverance and dedication to the game of hockey in honor of Masterton.

But every so often—be it hockey, football, basketball, or baseball—an event will happen that reminds us all of how fragile human life can be, and how fortunate we all are to have the ability to play, watch, write about, and enjoy sports as a part of our culture.

These are the moments where we realize that athletes are just regular people. They have families, lives outside of the game, and they're just as vulnerable as you or I.

From all of us here at Bleacher Report—our thoughts and prayers are with you Richard. We're all pulling for you.