Evander Kane gets involved in Adam Johnson’s tragedy

No player has ever died on NHL ice, but the thought of it became all too real over the weekend when Nottingham Panthers forward Adam Johnson, a former players of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ organization had his throat cut by a skate during a game against the Sheffield Steelers. He was immediately taken to hospital, but died from the serious injury after his throat was slit by an errant skate blade in a collision with Sheffield Steelers defenseman Matt Petgrave. Fans quickly thought about the incident involving goalie Clint Malarchuk who suffered a similar cut to the neck in 1989 - though he remarkably survived. However, one incident took place just last year that could have ended tragically. We remember how Edmonton Oilers’ Evander Kane suffered a laceration on his wrist on Nov. 8 of last year against the Tampa Bay Lightning when he was cut by a skate blade. Kane grabbed the lacerated area with his right hand and rushed to the bench before heading for the dressing room, followed by trainers and the team’s medical staff. He was transported to a hospital and underwent surgery that night before he was placed on long-term injured reserve after the procedure. The Oilers’ star winger was initially given a timeline of three-to-four months for recovery.

Kane survived and all knew how lucky he was and that’s why for NHL executive, neck protection isn’t the only thing that needs to be looked at, but also better wrist protection. This is what Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday night’s edition of Insider Trading on TSN:

“It should be no surprise that the NHL GM meetings that are coming up on November 14 in Toronto will feature that as a subject of discussion. It’s also worth noting that NHL GMs and league hockey operations have talked about cut-resistant equipment for the past half-dozen GM meetings, dating back to the Evander Kane incident last year so this is an ongoing discussion. It’s also a discussion that always seems to be reactive as opposed to looking ahead and one of those things I thought about today is we know there is cut-resistant technology today in equipment, but what about a one-piece suit like you see on a speed skater? I actually chatted with a league official today who said they’ve had conversations with a speed skating company where that’s not a crazy thought. It’s not on the table right now - the league has talked about only a top, which the league has signed off on, but I think it’s the kind of conversation in the big picture that certainly we will continue to have here.”

Kane probably didn’t expect to be linked to the trending topic of Johnson’s tragic death, but I am almost certain that he believes better protection needs to be put in place for all players on the ice.

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