The goalie who survived a severed artery and a 300-stitch wound

Sport & Games · Published 9 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1989, a hockey skate sliced through Clint Malarchuk's neck, severing his carotid artery and causing massive blood loss. He survived only because of the immediate intervention of a trainer with combat medic experience. His story is a harrowing study of physical trauma, PTSD, and the long road to recovery.

During a March 22, 1989, game between the Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues, a collision sent a skate blade into Malarchuk's neck. The injury severed his carotid artery and partially cut his jugular vein. The scene was so graphic that eleven fans fainted, two suffered heart attacks, and three players vomited. Malarchuk, believing he was about to die, managed to call his mother to say he loved her and asked for a priest before his life was saved by athletic trainer Jim Pizzutelli.

Pizzutelli, a former US Army combat medic from the Vietnam War, applied extreme pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. Malarchuk lost 1.5 litres of blood and required 300 stitches to close a 6-inch wound. Remarkably, he returned to the ice just eleven days later. However, the incident left lasting scars; Malarchuk later sought treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and alcoholism throughout his subsequent career.

Malarchuk's experience serves as a somber benchmark for hockey safety. In 2008, Florida Panthers forward Richard Zedník suffered a nearly identical neck injury, and in 2023, Adam Johnson tragically died from a similar in-game accident. Today, Malarchuk uses his platform to speak on mental health, suicide prevention, and the psychological trauma faced by retired athletes, turning a moment of extreme physical peril into a mission for advocacy.

Beyond the ice, Malarchuk's life reflects a unique blend of grit and transition. Known as "the Cowboy Goalie" for his rodeo interests, he eventually settled in Nevada where he became a certified veterinary technician and horse dentist. His journey from a life-threatening injury to a public speaker on OCD and recovery highlights the profound complexity of surviving high-impact sports trauma.

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