"Holy s**t, I am dying" - Ex-NHLer Clint Malarchuk opens up on his near death experience after freak neck injury

By Evan Bell

Modified Jul 16, 2024 18:41 GMT

In 1989, NHL fans witnessed a horrifying incident as Buffalo Sabres goalie Clint Malarchuk's neck was accidentally sliced open by St. Louis Blues winger Steve Tuttle's skate. During the game, Tuttle and Uwe Krupp both rushed towards the net, resulting in a collision with Malachuk, who was then sent down to the ice as the net came off its moorings.

While it appeared as though the netminder had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had been hit hard, a pool of blood quickly began to form on the ice as Malarchuk grabbed at his throat and removed his mask.

"The blood squirted probably six feet, and I knew right away. Cut the jugular. I knew this is bad. I've got maybe two or three minutes here. I really was like, "Holy s**t I’m dying. I am dying right now." So mentally, I prepared for death. This is where the PTSD comes in. So I'm preparing for death," Malarchuk said on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast this week.

Cameras shifted away from the gruesome scene, leaving fans to wonder. Thankfully for the goalie, despite having his jugular cut, Sabres trainer Jim Pizzutelli was a combat medic who had seen injuries of this nature on the battlefield.

Without missing a beat, Pizzutelli made his way across the ice, pinching the vein to prevent catastrophic blood loss and buying doctors time to save Malarchuk's life. Ten days later, Malarchuk made his return to the ice after having come—quite literally—just one millimeter away from death.

Closer look at the near-fatal injury sustained by Clint Malarchuk in 1989

Clint Malarchuk added that he was lucky that the injury happened where it did. According to doctors, had Malarchuk's injury happened on the other end of the ice, nearest the opposing team's bench and locker room, he would have bled out, making his way across the rink.

Despite that, in the moment, Malarchuk believed he would bleed out. As he explained on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast, he was worried that his mom would have to watch her son bleed to death on the ice.

After reaching the locker room, Clint Malarchuk asked Jim Pizzutelli to call his mom and tell her that he loved her. While hospital doctors, with the help of Pizzutelli, were able to save his life, he dealt with significant mental health issues.

As he revealed, he battled PTSD, depression, and anxiety after having his life flash before his eyes and accepting that he was likely going to die on that fateful day.