Ice hockey is, arguably, the most dangerous sport a person can play. Every time an athlete skates out onto the ice, he risks serious bodily injury. In turn, professional hockey players are some of the toughest dudes known to man. In recent news, Zach Parise of the Minnesota Wild took a puck to the face. He bent down, picked up his tooth and skated off the rink. After some light medical attention, he returned to finish the game. All in all, it could have been much worse. For instance, Clint Malachuck almost died when his jugular was cut.
Stick and ball games date back to pre-Christian times. Swedish sport historians actually discovered engravings from 1797 that feature people with skates and sticks on a frozen lake.
It is hard to say when the game of hockey actually started, but The National Hockey League was created in 1917 in Canada. In 1924, it became bi-national when it adopted the United States.
Since then, hockey has been one of the most popular sports in our country. It isn't that hard to see why so many people like it...Violence! However, few things in this world are as risky as hockey.
According to Bleacher Report, Minnesota's Zach Parise learned that lesson the hard way:
"If you have ever doubted the toughness of hockey players, think again. Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise took a puck to the face in the first period of a game against the Edmonton Oilers...After staring at the ice for a few seconds, Parise realized his tooth was sitting in a pool of blood. He took off his glove, picked up the tooth and skated off the ice. The forward returned after some repairs."
This isn't the only injury to occur on the ice. According to another reporter for Bleacher Report, this incident is child's play compared to some injuries:
"Hockey is a physical game. When players move around quickly on skates, shoot frozen hunks of vulcanized rubber at speeds of more than 100 mph and use their bodies to check each other and block shots, injuries are inevitable. While injuries are a part of the game, some incidents stand out as memorably gruesome in the annals of hockey history. [For example,] goalie Clint Malarchuk suffered what may be the most gruesome injury in NHL history... he nearly died when his jugular vein was cut by the a skate..."
What do you think about violence in sports? Is hockey too dangerous? Are you tough enough to suit up? Let us know your opinions in the comment section below.
