Tragedy Narrowly Averted In A Hockey Game In Sweden

Today a matchup between Oskarshamn IK and HV71 with relegation to Sweden's second division was the stage for some major hockey drama.

Shortly into the game, the two teams were battling for a puck in the corner when Oskarshamn's Viktor Lodin unloaded on HV71's Victor Sjoholm sending him flying. As Sjoholm was flying through the air his skate came out and hit Lodin's Oskarshamn teammate Nick Olesen in the face.

The hit left Olesen on the ground and fans in attendance waiting to see if he would be okay.

As it would turn out Olesen would be okay and minorly affected by the hit. After the game, he would end up speaking with the media and commenting on the incident. According to his comments, he hadn't realized what happened but felt lucky to be okay.

Olesen is just the latest case of a skate endangering the life of a player this season. Earlier this year in the UK former NHLer Adam Johnson passed away after a skate made contact with his neck.

Johnson's passing led to major reform in the requirement of neck protection in several leagues throughout the world. As of now, such protection is not required in leagues like the SHL or the NHL. However, with how many incidents have occurred we could see this change soon.