Two facial injuries within ten days to each other, one to a referee and another to Florida Panther player Richard Zednik has some calling for neck guards in the NHL.

Jassen Cullimore, Zednik's teammate who helped him off the ice after Zednik had his necck slit open by a blade felt that a neck guard is something to be worn by junior or amatuer players but not the pros.  Cullimore himself has scars on his neck where blades have almost cut his neck had this to say.

“I’ve gotten skates up there,” Cullimore said. “It’s just something that happens. You could wear a whole armor suit out, there but you’re still going to have broken bones and stuff like that.”

Zednik was cut during the third period Sunday in Buffalo when Panther captain Olli Jokinen was upended and his skate swung up, hitting Zednik in the right side of the neck, nearly severing his carotid artery. He underwent emergency surgery and required five units of blood, and is recovering in a hospital. The accident happened almost 20 years after Sabres goaltender Clint Malarchuk severed his jugular vein when an opposing player’s skate clipped him. He also recovered.

NASCAR waited until it took the death of someone like racing great Dale Earnhardt to mandate the neck harnass which had been suggested several years earlier.

But since hockey is such a macho sport where goalie's didn't even wear masks until the 1960's it might take someone getting killed before they are willing to make a neck guard part of the sport.

NHL florida panthers