NEW YORK — Even a neck guard may not have prevented Richard Zednik’s near-fatal injury on Sunday.
Just ask Jassen Cullimore, whose jersey was splattered with blood as he helped his Florida Panthers teammate off the stained ice.
Cullimore has come close to having his neck cut open — and the veteran defenseman has the scars to prove it. But don’t expect him, his teammates or other NHL players to start wearing neck guards because of Zednik’s accident. Like helmet cages, neck guards are something worn by junior and amateur players, not pros.
“I’ve gotten skates up there,” Cullimore said. “It’s just something that happens.”
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.
