OT: WOW! The CRAZIEST Sports Injury I have ever seen!!!

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Mon May 03, 2004 2:53 pm

(and had no idea about)

I am sure this is very old news to most of you and you have all probably seen the footage a bunch, but I had NEVER seen or heard of this particular incident:

I am referring to the 1989 accident where Buffalo Sabers goalie Clint Malarchuk had his throat slit by a skate.

Um…okay…I had never seen that one before. They had a segment on him in ESPN’s Sports Center last night. It was about him and his battle with OCD and depression. I was pretty preoccupied in 1989 when I moved from Chicago to North Carolina and must have missed this one altogether. I am surprised I have not seen it anywhere in the last 15 years, but was completely floored/freaked out when I saw it last night.

Any of you see that incident live??? I know we have a ton of pretty hardcore hockey fans here so I am just curious how many actually saw that happen.

Crazy sh*t. Very scary!!!

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:01 pm

I've seen it before, but not live. I probably would've thrown up if I saw it live because I would've been like 6 when I saw it.

It is probably the single-most sickening that I've ever seen, including some of the interesting bone benders that occur in sports.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:04 pm

Oh man, I was watching Sportscenter this morning right when they were starting the Malarchuk segment. I'm not familiar with his story, but I had the sudden feeling I should change the channel or I wouldn't be able to finish my bagel with lox. From the sound of it, I'm glad I did.

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:10 pm

I still haven't seen the Joe Theisman leg break much less the hockey one. I do remember seeing one from the late 80s. Cowboys receiver (Mike Sherrard) broke his leg once I think, and then again in practice. Just running a normal route and wasn't hit. All of a sudden another "joint" develops below the knee. No blood, but see a 3-piece leg was a bit wierd.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:19 pm

Saw the Malarchuk one a couple of years ago. When I first caught it, I thought he was throwing up, til I saw that the liquid hitting the ice was coming out of his neck.

I remember the Theismann one, and also Denver Bronco Gerald Wilhite breaking his leg.

Worst of all has to be Coventry City player Dave Busst literally shattering his lower leg against Man U at OT. It was so bad that they had to put sand on the pitch to cover the blood, and MU goalie Peter Schmeichel ran away from the incident and almost threw up behind his own goal.

I won't point you towards a film of it, because believe me you don't want to see it.

Another bad one was Man City defender Paul Lake swallowing his tongue after a mid-air collision going for a header. His life was saved on the pitch by the club doctor after he was knocked unconscious, and lay motionless on the pitch.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:28 pm

Don't forget about the Jason Kendall leg break. Woah!

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:29 pm

Worst injury I saw was Jason Kendall busting ass down the line, only to step on the first base bag wrong and totally snap his foot off. A foot hanging on by only skin is good times.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:31 pm

So I'll set the starters for the Dead Team and then just leave them. Hopefully they dont go on a hot streak and win it all.

What do you guys think...set the starters or just sit them all on the bench?

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:31 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:Worst injury I saw was Jason Kendall busting ass down the line, only to step on the first base bag wrong and totally snap his foot off. A foot hanging on by only skin is good times.

Ahhh...beat ya to it DB.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:32 pm

Ahh well.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:44 pm

Kendall's injury, which I saw on tape, was more hideous than Theismann's, which I saw live on Monday Night Football.

But Malarchuk's throat slit, which I saw on tape, takes the gross-out cake. Nasty, to say the least.

But everyone should be thankful that Formula One qualifying and practice weren't televised live worldwide in the 1970s like it is now. Francois Cevert, Jackie Stewart's Tyrrell teammate, drove through the double-metal guardrail at Watkins Glen in an accident in practice for the 1973 United States Grand Prix and was beheaded.

Gordon Smiley's fatal accident during qualifying for the 1982 Indianapolis 500 was particularly gruesome. You don't want to ask anyone who was on the IMS Safety Crew that day for a recap ...

Take care,
PK

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Mon May 03, 2004 3:55 pm

Saw the Theisman hit live watching it as a high schooler on my little 13 inch black and white TV.

That was the worst until I saw the Raiders Napoleum McCallum(sp?) get swallowed by the Niners defense only to bend in ways that he shouldn't. I think he almost bled to death as a major artery burst in his leg.

Sam Bowie's leg hanging was not a pretty sight either.

So many over the years.

vader29 · Post by **vader29** » Mon May 03, 2004 4:38 pm

I remember seeing the Clint Malarchuk incident on tv when it happened and it is still the most sickening injury I've ever seen happen live, seeing him lying there in a pool of blood I thought for sure he wasn't going to make it. Didn't know about his troubles with depression though.

skidmark · Post by **skidmark** » Mon May 03, 2004 4:51 pm

Speaking of horrific injuries, has anyone seen this training video?

http://www.hugi.is/hahradi/bigboxes.php ... &f_id=1000

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Mon May 03, 2004 7:44 pm

PK - I've always wondered why I could never find out much about Gordon Smiley's crash, and now I think I know. Cevert's crash has always sounded rather unpleasant too - I think Helmuth Koinigg did the same thing at the same place a year later as well.

I'm with Dave on this one - David Busst having his leg shatter is the most horrific injury I've ever seen, and naturally the moment was captured from a variety of angles for our viewing pleasure the next morning. Aston Villa defender Gary Charles did almost the same thing soon afterwards as well - not a lot of blood involved but the sight of anyone's foot bent a good 100 degrees out of its usual position is not pretty.

Cheers,
Adam

RustedWalleye · Post by **RustedWalleye** » Tue May 04, 2004 1:29 am

Back when I played Little League Baseball I watched a kid die (dont even fully remember the age, 9 or 10 I believe) from the metal spikes hitting him in the neck when he was sliding into second head first. One of the things that brought the outlawing of metal spikes in Little League.

I saw Joe Theisman's leg break live and that wasnt easy to watch either as they kept playing it over and over...

Watched a friend die in a short track racing accident as well. Sad thing is he had a heart attack before the car even wrecked and the dude was only 41 at the time. Very sad. One of the best short track racers in the Wisconsin-Illinois area at the time, but he was very hardcore of a racer and got kicked out of a lot of tracks for his aggressive style. He eventually always made a return as he had a large fan following.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Tue May 04, 2004 1:48 am

RustedWalleye wrote:Back when I played Little League Baseball I watched a kid die (dont even fully remember the age, 9 or 10 I believe) from the metal spikes hitting him in the neck when he was sliding into second head first. One of the things that brought the outlawing of metal spikes in Little League.

I saw Joe Theisman's leg break live and that wasnt easy to watch either as they kept playing it over and over...

Watched a friend die in a short track racing accident as well. Sad thing is he had a heart attack before the car even wrecked and the dude was only 41 at the time. Very sad. One of the best short track racers in the Wisconsin-Illinois area at the time, but he was very hardcore of a racer and got kicked out of a lot of tracks for his aggressive style. He eventually always made a return as he had a large fan following.

My god Rusted, those are horrible.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Tue May 04, 2004 11:51 am

Anybody remember David Letterman's "Joe Theisman Pencil Sharpener"?

It kinda looked like a bobblehead doll, but the handle you cranked was his leg.

bphilipb · Post by **bphilipb** » Tue May 04, 2004 1:45 pm

Unfortunately, since I follow sports so closely, I have seen most of these injuries when they happened (on tv). I remember the Malarchuk incident very vividly. I was watching the Monday night game with Theisman and when Freddie Mitchell broke his leg in college. The list goes on and on. Bryce Florie getting hit in the head on a come-back-er while he was pitching for Boston. That was totally just disgusting.

I think I'm going to stop thinking about this because it is making me sick but to be honest I think we are very fortunate to not see more serious injuries on the playing field.

BB

skidmark · Post by **skidmark** » Tue May 04, 2004 1:55 pm

sf_z wrote: I'm afraid to click on skidmark's link.

Its pretty graphic... in a OSHA meets Red Asphalt kind of way.

I remember playing a pickup game of football where a guy got his foot caught on some sprinkler cap during a tackle... had the foot being held on by his sock action - its even more disturbing live.

I couldn't let this thread get any larger without bringing back the memory of Dave Draveky - that pop still puts chills down my spine.

fletcher21 · Post by **fletcher21** » Tue May 04, 2004 2:10 pm

haha funny stuff...

once in an indoor soccer game a player on the other team got a breakaway from nearly 1/2 field so by the time he got to the 18 he was flying at full speed, and he tried to do a fake, but he stepped on the ball and went flying head first into the turf
normally this wouldnt be so bad, but it was a shirts vs skins game, and he was a skins
needless to say there was almost as much blood and skin left in the turf as on this dudes body, and he was absolutely screaming... dude got up and it looked so nasty, blood and hanging skin

word