Hockey is a physical game. When players move around quickly on skates, shoot frozen hunks of vulcanized rubber at speeds of more than 100 mph and use their bodies to check each other and block shots, injuries are inevitable.
While injuries are a part of the game, some incidents stand out as memorably gruesome in the annals of hockey history. There are memorable incidents of horrific injuries, unusual goings on and even an on-ice death.
So, to take our minds of the lockout and in the spirit of Halloween, here is a look at the 50 most gruesome injuries in hockey history. I didn’t put these in any particular order because I felt it would be a bit macabre to rank a series of injuries and even deaths in order of gruesomeness.
Despite all of my research, I’m sure I have missed some incidents, so feel free to add some or comment on the ones I have here. Some of the photos and videos are not fitting for the faint of heart, and you may not want to view this right after you ate.
This devastating hit by Phoenix’s Raffi Torres last spring ended Marian Hossa’s season and earned the Coyotes winger a 25-game suspension (later reduced to 21 games).
Hossa suffered a concussion on the play.
