On March 22nd in 1989, Buffalo Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk had his throat inadvertently slit by the skate blade of Steve Tuttle of the St. Louis Blues when he became tangled with Uwe Krupp in a chase for the puck.Losing copious amounts of blood with every heartbeat, Malarchuk's life was saved by the quick actions of the team trainer Jim Pizzutelli and the good fortune of being in the goal closest to dressing rooms.
Fearing the worst, Clint requested a priest and had the team call his mother as doctors sewed over 300 stitches into the wound. Miraculously Malarchuk spent only one night in the hospital and made a full recovery, returning to practice in four days and playing in a game a week after that.The incident remains among the most horrific and life-threatening injuries ever sustained by a player during a NHL game.
That's today in NHL history.
* See also Today In NHL History - Richard Zednik's Throat Slit.
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