Clint Malarchuk... Luckiest Man Alive or Tortured Soul?

[MessiahRp]

If you have never heard of him before, Clint Malarchuk was a goalie for the Buffalo Sabres who had a horrific accident occur when a skater slid into him and the blade of his skate slashed Malarchuk's jugular.

The result was possibly the most graphic injury in sports history. (video here, warning, not for the feint of heart: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=clint+malarchuk+gets+throat+slit+by+skate&search_type=&aq=1&oq=clint+malar)

Malarchuk survived the incident and works as a goalie coach today.

Then I saw this on the news wires today...

Former NHL goalie recovering after shooting

MINDEN, Nev. (AP)—Clint Malarchuk, the former NHL goalie best known for having his jugular vein slashed by a skate in a 1989 game with Buffalo, is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in the chin with a rifle.

Wife Christy told sheriff’s deputies that the .22-caliber rifle discharged after her husband placed the butt on the ground between his legs. He had been shooting rabbits.

The 47-year-old former player, now a goalie coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets, was flown by helicopter to a Reno hospital for treatment Tuesday.

“Our concern is with Clint and his well being,” the Blue Jackets said Thursday. “We are optimistic that he will have a full recovery very soon.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-malarchuk-shootingaccident&prov=ap&type=lgns
--------

How many people do you know who have had their jugular slashed by an ice skate and shot themselves in the face and lived to tell about it?

So you tell me tortured soul or luckiest man alive?

Rp

[Forkboy]

1. Ole Friendless Clint. No one will hang around with that bad luck charm on feet.

His injury was the nastiest sports injury I've ever seen. I remember ESPN showed the clip that night and then wouldn't air it again after complaints it was too gross. Without an ambulance on the premises (not always mandatory in stadiums those days) he would have died. The doctors said he would have bled out before making it to the hospital. :scared: