A hockey game between the Churchbridge Imperials and Esterhazy Flyers took a dramatic turn over the weekend, after the game was cut short with just six minutes left in the third after a gruesome injury.
On Saturday evening, Imperials player Cole Cusitar was rushed to Yorkton hospital after a player’s skate blade left a deep cut just half an inch away from his jugular vein.
Cusitar’s teammate, Jonathan Jenson, said the incident left teammates and spectators shaken up.
“It’s one of those things where you just don’t think about it. That’ll never happen to me,” Jenson said.
“You see it on TV and you see it happen in the NHL. But this is one of those things where it’s like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that just happened to one of our players.’”
Injuries caused by skates are not necessarily uncommon in hockey, but it doesn’t make Jensen feel any better about the situation.
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While groups like Hockey Canada have equipment mandates for minor-league and female teams, mandates for neck guards and other protective equipment are noticeably absent in senior leagues.
“It’s the standard equipment for all of Hockey Canada but neck guards and mouth guards are not required for our league,” Jensen said.
The alternate captain explained how Cusitar wasn’t wearing a neck guard at the time of the injury, but neither is anyone else in the league.
“I’m not sure if anybody in our league wears a neck guard currently,” he said. “I know only one player on our team did and that’s my nephew.
“I saw it before the game and I said, ‘You know you don’t have to wear that.’”
According to the Sask. East Hockey League, Imperial players have stated they will all wear neck guards from here on out.
“One incident like this is one too many,” the league said on its website.
“Special thanks to all people who acted very, very quickly (Saturday) night. You are all part of the reason why this wasn’t worse.”
Jensen and the league say Cusitar has since been released from the hospital and is recovering with 80 stitches from his jaw to his ear.
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