The tragic incident where Nottingham Panthers' Adam Johnson died from a skate blade cutting his throat during a game, brought back eerie reminders of past near-fatal injuries in NHL. One striking example is goalie Clint Malarchuk's similar injury in 1989, which he survived. More recently, Edmonton Oilers'
Evander Kane had a close call when a skate blade lacerated his wrist during a game in 2020, requiring immediate surgery and a long recovery.