WILMINGTON - The Bruins, along with the rest of the hockey world, were stunned by the horror of Panthers forward Richard Zednik getting his neck sliced open Sunday night during a game in Buffalo.
"I didn't want to watch it," said veteran center Marc Savard, following the Bruins' late-morning workout at the Ristuccia Center. "I was home, watching the Grammys, and when I switched over to the game . . . like I say, I didn't want to watch. Just horrible."
Zednik, who scored two goals Saturday night in a 6-3 win over the Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden, remained in Buffalo General Hospital yesterday, his condition stable following two hours of emergency surgery. The 32-year-old Slovakian forward was injured midway through the third period when teammate Olli Jokinen, upended after a heavy check, was sent topsy-turvy.
Zednik was clipped across the side of his neck by one of Jokinen's skate blades. Wounded and bleeding profusely, he had the presence of mind to skate to his bench, using a hand to apply pressure to what turned out to be a nearly severed carotid artery. He left a trail of blood that was cleaned up prior to play resuming some 15 minutes after the accident.
"More blood than you've ever seen at a hockey game, for sure," said Boston goalie Tim Thomas, who this year for the first time added protective neckwear to his arsenal of equipment. "That amount of blood, you knew it had to be the jugular or the carotid."
Neck guards, which are mandatory throughout youth hockey in the US and Canada, are worn by very few NHLers. In fact, a quick poll in the Bruins dressing room yesterday found no one able to name a single player, other than some goalies, who wear the added protection.
"You have to wear them in the pro leagues in Finland," said forward Petteri Nokelainen. "But I don't think it would be anyone's choice to wear one. I don't wear one now, but when you see [what happened to Zednik], I guess I'm kind of stupid."
Asked if the Zednik injury would convince him now to wear neck protection, Nokelainen said, "Probably not."
Bruins center Glen Metropolit, who sometimes played on the same line with Zednik during their days with the Capitals, said he considers Zednik a friend and he felt sorry for his old buddy.
"We're all skating out there, basically, with two knives attached to our feet," said Metropolit. "You see that, man, it's scary stuff."
If the league were to make neck protection mandatory, Metropolit said, he would comply. However, he wore neck gear in his amateur playing days in Toronto and found that it made him sweat and made him feel claustrophobic.
"Maybe it would be different today, because they have lighter materials and such," mused Metropolit. "It's a dangerous game, unfortunately."
Shawn Thornton, no shrinking violet when it comes to the tougher aspects of the game, did not watch the Sabres-Panthers game Sunday and did not sound eager to watch the replay of Zednik's accident.
"No, haven't seen it," said Thornton. "And I don't want to see it, thanks."
Rookie Milan Lucic suffered Boston's bloodiest injury this season when he crashed head-first into the rear boards in Philadelphia. His nose badly broken, Lucic remained face down while blood pooled on the ice.
"Zednik's was much more serious than mine," said Lucic. "In my situation, I knew it was just my face. What I had was nothing compared to his.
"That trail of blood, you never want to see something like that happen.
As a kid, said Lucic, he was forced to wear neck protection but "got rid of it right away" as soon as he advanced to junior hockey.
"It's hot and it feels like it's kind of choking you," he said.
The Zednik incident, as awful as it was, won't make Lucic opt for extra protection.
"It makes you think, though . . . anything can happen," he said. "You are always at risk. Whenever you go out there, you are taking your chances."
Day of rest for Chara
Captain Zdeno Chara was given the day off for what coach Claude Julien termed "maintenance." He also reported that Chara sustained a charley horse during the third period of Saturday's loss to Florida. "He logs a lot of ice time," said Julien, "so I think he can miss a couple of practices." Asked if Chara will be ready for tonight, Julien said, "I hope so." Matt Keator, Chara's agent, said he spent the day with his prized client Sunday and the towering blue liner had only "general soreness." General manager Peter Chiarelli said he believed Chara wasn't suffering with anything that a day of rest would not remedy.Moving closer
According to Chiarelli, defenseman Andrew Alberts, sidelined the last couple of months with concussion-like symptoms, will travel with the Bruins during the five-game road trip that begins after tonight's Causeway Street match with the Hurricanes. It's a sign that Alberts soon could join the club for workouts. "He has some headaches," said Chiarelli, "but they appear to be related to a neck injury, and not a concussion." . . . Old pal Tom McVie was in the Wilmington stands briefly to watch the workout. He is in town for the weeklong scouting meetings the club is having on Causeway Street . . . Peter Schaefer, who has missed the last two games with a lacerated shin, is not expected to suit up tonight. He wore a red practice sweater, noting that he was ineligible for contact.Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com
