In February 2008, Zedník sustained a life-threatening injury during an NHL game when the skate of his teammate Olli Jokinen accidentally sliced his common carotid artery.[1]
Zedník scored 35 goals in his rookie year with the Winter Hawks during the 1994–95 season. In his second year with the major junior team, he scored 44 goals which earned him Second Team All-Star honours. Zedník made his professional debut at the end of the 1995–96 season, playing in a single game with the Capitals before joining their minor league affiliate, the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League (AHL), for their Calder Cup finals playoff run. Zedník made the Capitals' roster out of training camp in 1996 and scored his first career NHL goal in the season opener on October 5 against Ed Belfour of the Chicago Blackhawks.[2] After one goal in nine games, Zedník was sent down to Portland before being recalled briefly in March 1997.
Zedník played his first full NHL season in 1997–98, playing in 65 games with the Capitals and recording 17 goals. Zedník scored the first Capitals goal in Capital One Arena (then MCI Center) history.[3]
On October 31, 2000, a local Washington, D.C., radio station, DC101, had a promotion in which they offered fans a free ticket and Zedník jersey if they dyed their hair blond as Zedník had in the off-season. Two hundred fans with dyed hair attended the game, at which Zedník scored his first career hat-trick against the Detroit Red Wings, who had not lost in Washington in ten years.[4]
On April 26, 2002, during a playoff game in Montreal against the Boston Bruins, Zedník was elbowed in the face by Bruins defenceman Kyle McLaren. Zedník suffered a fractured cheekbone, broken nose and a concussion. Despite the Canadiens losing the game 5–2 and Zedník for the remainder of the playoffs, they would win the series 4–2.
After playing the next three years in Montreal, Zedník was traded back to the Capitals on July 12, 2006, in exchange for a third-round draft pick. Zedník's second stint back with the Capitals was short as he was dealt at the trade deadline to the New York Islanders for a second-round draft pick on February 26, 2007.
On April 30, 2009, Zedník was announced as a Masterton Trophy finalist for the 2008–09 season.[6][7] His nomination coincided with an official announcement that Zedník signed to play for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for the 2009–10 season.[8] Zedník's contract with Lokomotiv Yaroslaval was terminated "by mutual agreement" in the summer of 2010.[citation needed]
On February 10, 2008, in a game where the Florida Panthers were playing the Buffalo Sabres, Zedník suffered a severe and life-threatening injury. Teammate Olli Jokinen was tangled up with Sabre Clarke MacArthur and lost his balance in front of Zedník. Zedník was skating past as Jokinen fell, and his skate blade accidentally made contact with Zedník's neck, slicing his common carotid artery open and causing it to expel a trail of blood onto the ice as Zedník reacted quickly and skated to the Panthers' bench. He was immediately attended to by Florida trainer Dave Zenobi, who took him to the locker room for treatment. Paramedics, who are on standby at every NHL game, stabilized Zedník while the home team doctor Les Bisson controlled the bleeding. Bisson noted that Zedník appeared to be in shock but was not near death, as he was alert and responsive.[1] Zedník lost five pints of blood (2.3 L).[9] He was transported to hospital on emergency run, his status being published as stable after leaving the arena.[10] The game was delayed for more than 20 minutes as the Zamboni was needed to help remove the blood from the ice. The announcement over the public address speakers at HSBC Arena that Zedník was in stable condition and en route to a Buffalo, New York, hospital sparked a prolonged standing ovation from the Buffalo fans as the game went on as planned.
Emergency surgery was performed to repair the artery, but according to doctors at Buffalo General Hospital, Zedník's life was not in jeopardy. The artery was not severed; had it been, it would have recessed into the neck, requiring more extensive surgery to repair.[1][11][12] Zedník was in the intensive care unit through February 12, then released from hospital on February 16, but missed the rest of the season recovering from the injury. He returned to play in the 2008–09 season.
Zedník watched the video replay of his injury and said "once is enough". He said the extent of the injury was immediately obvious to him, as it felt like being stabbed.[13]
Zedník's injury drew comparisons with a similar injury suffered in 1989 by Clint Malarchuk, who was a goalkeeper for the Buffalo Sabres. Both injuries prompted discussion about neck guards and player safety in the NHL. At present, team doctors (practitioners of sports medicine) are trained in trauma care and are required to be seated behind the home team bench at every game.[citation needed]
Personal life
Zedník married French-Canadian actress Jessica Welch in 2005. They divorced in 2009 and have one daughter.[14][15]
