It was Jan. 5, 1975. Crouch, then 18, was in net for the Junior A Markham Waxers, playing against the Royal York Royals at a rink in North Toronto. As he recalls it, the play was routine. The outcome was not.
“There was a puck entering into our zone. And as a goalie, I raced out, slid on my left side, and as I did, two players jumped over me and one of their skates caught me on the side of the neck,” said Crouch.
Black and white images, captured by a local newspaper photographer, show the players suspended in air moments before impact. Then a dazed Crouch, sitting in a spreading pool of his own blood, with the man who saved his life, team trainer Joe Piccininni, desperately working to staunch the flow.
Almost five decades later, Crouch recalls that the emergency surgery lasted three hours, but can’t remember how many stitches it took to sew him back up. A case review saved in his scrapbook, details the devastating injuries — extensive muscle and nerve damage, a nick to a vertebrae, the carotid artery completely severed and the jugular vein mostly cut through.
Because there’s still a lot of macho bullshit in hockey
I get made fun of in shitty beer league hockey for wearing a neck guard. Guys say it makes me look like a little kid
TJ Oshie started wearing one recently. There may be others, but at least one pro does!
The Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburg Penguins each have 4 players wearing neckguards but usage is still scattered in the league. source
All 3 Canadian junior leagues have mandated usage.
I’m not arguing against them, but I will note it’s an extremely low probability.
In risk management, they measure probability and impact to classify the risk. This is a low probability, high impact situation. And there have been very few injuries of this type over many games played.
There’s a slim chance I’ll be killed riding my bike, but I still do it.
Sure, i agree the chances of dying are low in the NHL… There are professional medics rinkside… But no way in hell i’m risking it in beer league with a bunch of reckless dudes skating around with swords on their feet and no professional trainer on the bench.
Its very low probability, but very dire consequences if it happens. You can accept the risk or mitigate. Mitigate means wearing a thin piece of fabric which doesnt seem like a lot to ask. I’m sure with the tech we have these days, the cut-proof material can be made very thin with minimal bulk
I still wear an old padded one from 20 yrs ago
That’s a false equivalency.
A better one is that there’s a slim chance you’d be hit by a car but you still wear your bike helmet anyway. And I bet you do.
I think some minor leagues made it mandatory after the most recent death, but the macho thing will likely keep it from being mandatory in the NHL. It’s still not even optional to wear a face cage in the NHL for some reason.