ESTERHAZY, Sask. — Hockey player Jonathan Jenson says he was sitting on the bench when he saw his teammate go down and a pool of blood begin to form on the ice.
Captain Cole Cusitar of the Churchbridge Imperials had just been cut under his jaw by a skate while facing off against the Flyers in Esterhazy, Sask.
"Everybody starts yelling, 'Get out there! Get out there!'" Jenson said Monday, recalling Saturday's game in the southeast Saskatchewan town.
"The whole rink, you could hear everybody yelling, 'Call 911!'"
Jenson said the coaching staff immediately went to Cusitar, helped him into a truck and drove to hospital.
The 35-year-old received 80 stitches for the deep gash and has since been discharged, Jenson said.
"Had (the skate cut him) just half an inch lower, he probably might not have made it to the hospital," he said.
"It was definitely a pretty scary scene, something you only see on TV and never think it's going to happen to your team."
The Sask East Hockey League said it's believed Cusitar fell to the ice and the blade of another player's skate hit his neck.
The league said Cusitar wasn't wearing a neck guard and all players on his team have decided they will now wear the protective equipment.
"We, as a league, are strongly suggesting that all of our players and referees/linesmen do the same," it said in a statement.
"Some players and a lot of the officials already are wearing them."
Cusitar could not be reached for comment.
Hockey Saskatchewan, which regulates the use of neck guards, said in an email it has not had time to consider changing mandates over the protective equipment.
It said the guards are not required for senior hockey but must be worn for all other levels.
Jenson said it makes sense to wear one.
"In this particular instance, it may not have helped because the cut was fairly high on his jaw, but even so, it's pretty hard to make an argument for not wearing a neck guard," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2024.
-- by Jeremy Simes in Regina.
The Canadian Press