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Hockey is an inherently dangerous contact sport, but the fact that players are essentially armed with weapons in the form of their sticks and the sharpened skates they use to navigate the rink makes it an especially precarious pastime. Now, one junior player in Canada is at the center of a police investigation over a scary incident that left an opponent clinging to life on the ice.
It’s honestly kind of miraculous hockey skates aren’t responsible for more severe injuries than they’ve caused over the years, although a number of NHL players have suffered some incredibly gnarly setbacks after catching a rogue blade during a game.
It’s obviously not that rare to see competitors lose their temper in one of the only sports where players are essentially allowed to punch each other in the face to settle their differences, but even the most hot-headed hooligans know there are certain lines you’re not supposed to cross.
According to CTV News, a junior hockey player in Edmonton allegedly failed to exercise the most basic form of restraint during a game between the Junior Braves and the South West Zone Oil Kings of the Noralta Junior C Hockey League on September 27th.
The outlet reports the Oil Kings were up 9-5 with around a minute to go in the third period when Braves forward Richie Compo was kicked in the neck by opposing defenseman Nate Plaunt. The victim said he pleaded with the trainer who rushed to treat him not to let him die, and he was quickly transported to the hospital before receiving more than a dozen stitches to heal the cut that had formed on his neck near his jugular vein.
The referee overseeing the game hit Plaunt with a match penalty (which is accompanied by an automatic three-game suspension that could be increased by the league pending a review) and submitted a report that stated he observed the 18-year-old player “deliberately kicking” the 20-year-old Compo in his “neck/face area.”
A spokesperson for the Edmonton Police Service also confirmed it is looking into the matter it has officially designated as an “alleged assault,” and while Compo is expected to make a full recovery, this kind of incident probably warrants the involvement of law enforcement (it’s worth noting an NHL player was once jailed for a dirty hit in 1988, and a few others have ended up in court for similar reasons).