Clint Malarchuk
Clint Malarchuk (born May 1, 1961 in Grande Prairie, Alberta) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 11 seasons in the NHL. He played 5 seasons with the Quebec Nordiques, 2 seasons with the Washington Capitals and 4 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. He is probably best known for the serious throat injury that he received from a skate blade during a game.
| Clint Malarchuk | |
|---|---|
 Malarchuk playing for the Quebec Nordiques in 1986 | |
| Born | May 1, 1961 Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) |
| Position | Goaltender |
| Caught | Left |
| Played for | Quebec Nordiques Washington Capitals Buffalo Sabres |
| NHL Draft | 74th overall, 1981 Quebec Nordiques |
| Playing career | 1981–1996 |
Injury
On March 22, 1989, Malarchuk was injured during a game between the Sabres and St. Louis Blues. Steve Tuttle of the St. Louis Blues and Uwe Krupp of the Buffalo Sabres became entangled when they were chasing the puck and they both crashed into Malarchuk's net, Tuttle's skate hit Malarchuk on the neck and severed his internal carotid artery which caused puddles of blood that collected on the ice. Malarchuk left the ice on his own two feet but he thought he was going to die so he said "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." He knew that his mother was watching the game on TV and he had an equipment manager call and tell her he loved her.[1] He also asked for a priest. His life was saved when the team's trainer, Jim Pizzutelli who was a former Army medic who had served in Vietnam. had reached into Malarchuk's neck and pinched off the bleeding. He did not let go until the doctors arrived to begin closing the wound. After the doctors spent 90 minutes and used over 300 stitches to close the wound he returned to practice four days later and was back in the net against the Quebec Nordiques after about a week.[2] He made in time for the playoffs but the Sabres lost to the Boston Bruins 4 games to 1.
Malarchuk suffered mental health issues from this incident later on. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. On October 7, 2008, Malarchuk attempted to commit suicide with a .22 Long Rifle.[3]
In November 2014, he released an autobiography called The Crazy Game also known by the title A Matter of Inches—How I Survived In The Crease And Beyond in the United States.[4] Since the book release, Malarchuk and his wife have traveled around speaking about mental health issues and suicide prevention.[5]
References
- ↑ "Zednik's injury brings Malarchuk's own nightmare back to surface". ESPN. 12 February 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Clint Malarchuk suffered a horrific sporting injury. But PTSD put his life in peril again, decades later". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ ""I'm Walking Around With A Bullet In My Head And A Scar On My Neck": Clint Malarchuk, At 50". Deadspin. 3 February 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Clint Malarchuk has new lease on life". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Video: View the Powerful Keynote Address by Clint & Joanie Malarchuk". International OCD Foundation. 24 September 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
Other websites
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or ESPN.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
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