In today's SHL matchup, a heart-stopping moment unfolded involving Nick Olesen of IK Oskarshamn.
In a chilling incident, Olesen narrowly escaped a severe injury when a competitor's skate blade swung up and struck his face following a collision on the ice. Miraculously, Olesen walked away from the ordeal unharmed.
The incident, which happened in a flash, left spectators and players alike fearing the worst. Olesen later shared his relief and astonishment at having avoided a grave injury,
"I was very, very, lucky. It goes so fast that I didn't have time to perceive what happened at first. It was the tip of the skate that hit the face, and not the rail. So brutally scary.«
This close call brings back memories of the tragic incident last year when Adam Johnson lost his life due to a skate cut. Since then, there's been a noticeable shift towards adopting additional protective gear, like neck guards, across the hockey community.
Olesen's incident might further push for innovations in protective headgear, perhaps leading to designs that offer more comprehensive facial protection, considering current visors don't fully safeguard the face from such threats.