A game of hockey is as good as war. In war, you can suit up with the best in-kind armor, but there is always this more than likely chance of being prone to injury. Hockey is no different. Getting injured while playing hockey is an occupational hazard. Ask any passionate player; they won’t refute it. But what about the gravity of those injuries? It’s a beloved game, but players’ safety should not be up for gambling. Jakob Chychrun was playing some good old hockey for the Washington Capitals when he sustained a significant cut to his wrist from another player’s skate.
If you’re wondering how, we felt just as incredulous as you are right now when the news broke. You see, Chychrun was playing some great defense moves against the Florida Panthers on March 22 when the incident happened. Chychrun had the puck in the Capitals’ defense zone when he lost his footing and fell on the ice. In a scrum that ensued to gain possession of the puck, Tom Wilson shoved the Panthers’ captain Aleksander Barkov. Barkov fell to the ice, skates up with Chychrun’s wrist in the way. A wound so gnarly, it was a gash of red for Chychrun, who had to exit the game in the first period.
Though, he did come back to the rink at the third period with a rather large bandage wrapped around his arm. Now, NHL insider, Tarik El-Bashir dropped the bomb on X on Chychrun’s status and let’s just say it does not look good. Concerning? Yes. The Capitals’ head coach Spencer Carberry had said “It’s scary stuff when see things that become that close to being really, really dangerous.” And for good reason, it looks like Jakob Chychrun is going to sit this one out for the Capitals’ game against the Winnipeg Jets.
The Washington Capitals have a lot going on for them, that includes a 4-game winning streak plus a very cozy spot up on top of the metropolitan division of the Eastern Conference in the NHL. Also, how could we forget? Their captain is on a record chase that is one for the books. But for head coach Spencer Carbery, all of this takes a back seat in the wake of Chychrun’s injury scare. And an injury caused by skate blades in the NHL, history has no dearth of unfortunate precedents with peril outcomes. It again circles back to one major dispute, player safety.
Player safety can be a double-edged sword if you’re a hockey player. A lot hangs in the balance between the desire to protect yourself and the resistance to adapt to new safety gear that may or may not hamper the player’s ability. This is exactly what Carbery stressed on. While there are those in the NHL that advocate for compulsory usage of safety gear, “the players’ union wants nothing to be mandated and let the players make their own choices”. However, safety cannot be a choice.
The Washington Capitals’ very own T. J. Oshie is the co-founder of Warroad Hockey Co., an establishment on a mission to mitigate the menace of skate cut injuries in hockey with protective cut resistant apparel and neck guards. While the AHL and CHL among other regional hockey leagues have mandates in place for players to strictly wear protective gear while playing, it’s been dicey in the NHL to adapt to such a mandate rather than leave it as recommended. At least that’s what the New Jersey Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald has been rallying for support, and he speaks from personal experience.
Capitals’ D-man added to a growing list of skate blade injury woes
The Washington Capitals’ Jakob Chychrun is just another name to the exhaustive list of those afflicted by skate blade cuts. Earlier this year at the NHL’s annual GM meeting, Rod Pasma, VP of NHL’s operations was presenting on cut-resistant materials in hockey when he asked Tom Fitzgerald to share a personal story from a parent’s perspective. His son Casey Fitzgerald suffered a near-fatal cut to his neck by a skate blade in December 2024—even while wearing a neck guard. Casey escaped death by a mere few inches. The incident was so severe that gruesome images of his injury and subsequent treatment were shown during the presentation.
Fitzgerald felt that such images should be put up for display in locker rooms to serve as a constant reminder for players to prioritize safety over comfort. The narrative of skate blade injuries doesn’t end with Casey. In 2022, Evander Kane, the Oilers’ star player was sidelined for three to four months after sustaining a cut on his wrist in a game against the Lightning—eerily similar to Jakob Chychrun experienced. Kane’s injury occurred during a scrum in the Oilers’ defensive zone when Pat Maroon’s skate blade caught his wrist, resulting in a blur of red.
Quick thinking allowed Kane to apply pressure to stop the bleeding while he skated to the bay for help. He was later rushed to the hospital where he underwent further treatment. The Lightning head coach Jon Cooper summed up the ordeal, saying, “You cringe when you see that. It was tough to see. You know, hockey—you battle against each other. It’s a war, but we’re still a family.”
Tragically, not everyone has been as fortunate. The hockey community is still reeling from the loss of Adam Johnson, a former forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in England in late 2023. Johnson suffered a severe neck cut that led to fatal bleeding, and he was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. The chilling footage of his incident continues to send shivers down the spine of those who witness it.
These events force us to ask an impertinent question: how many more names will be added to this list before the NHL finally prioritizes safety and player well-being? While safety gear might be uncomfortable, it is far better than ending up on a hospital table, knowing that the prevention was a choice left not-taken when it should have been the way to go!
