Richard Zednik Richard Zedník ( born January 6 , 1976 ) was a Slovak professional hockey player who played right wing for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League . Playing career . He was drafted in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals , in the tenth round , two - hundred forty - ninth overall , after playing junior hockey for the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League . Zedník scored 35 goals in his rookie year with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League 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 . Zednik made his professional debut at the end of the 1995 – 96 season playing in a single game with the Capitals before joining minor league affiliate , the Portland Pirates for their Calder Cup finals playoff run . Richard played his first full NHL season in 1997 – 98 , playing in 65 games with the Capitals and recording 17 goals . On October 31 , 2000 , a local Washington , DC 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 offseason . Over two hundred people showed up as " Zed Heads " and Zedník scored his first career hat trick against the Detroit Red Wings . After spending six seasons with the Capitals , Zedník was traded during the 2000 – 01 season , along with Jan Bulis and a first round draft pick ( Alexander Perezhogin ) to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Trevor Linden , Dainius Zubrus , and a second round draft pick ( later traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning ) on March 13 , 2001 . On April 26 , 2002 , during a playoff game in Montreal against the Boston Bruins , Zedník was elbowed in the face by Bruin defender Kyle McLaren . Zedník , who had scored both goals for Montreal in the 5 – 2 loss , suffered a fractured cheekbone , broken nose , and a concussion . The injuries forced Zedník to miss the remainder of the playoffs . After playing the next 3 years in Montreal , Zedník was traded back to the Capitals on July 12 , 2006 , 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 2nd round draft pick on February 26 , 2007 . At the conclusion of the 2006 – 07 season , Zedník a Free Agent , signed a 2 - year contract with the Florida Panthers on July 1 , 2007 . On April 30 , 2009 , Zedník was announced as a Masterton Trophy finalist for the 2008 – 09 season . His nomination coincided with a official announcement that Zedník signed to play for the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League ( KHL ) for the 2009 - 10 season . Neck injury . On February 10 , 2008 , in a game between the Florida Panthers and the Buffalo Sabres , teammate Olli Jokinen , while tripping over the leg of Sabres forward Clarke MacArthur , cut Zedník ' s external carotid artery with his right skate blade . Zedník immediately skated to the Florida bench , leaving a trail of blood on the ice . He was immediately attended to by Florida trainer Dave Zenobi ( along with all medical personnel in the arena ) who took him to the locker room for treatment until emergency medical personnel arrived at HSBC Arena . Zedník underwent surgery that night starting at 9 : 00 , his status being published as stable after leaving the arena . The game was delayed for more than 20 minutes as the zamboni was needed to help clean the blood from the ice . Zenobi and assistant general manager Randy Sexton remained with Zedník ; the Panthers arranged for his wife Jessica Welch to be flown in from their South Florida home to be with him in Buffalo . NHL Vice President Colin Campbell , who was in attendance to see his son Gregory play for the Panthers , made the decision to finish the game after it was confirmed that Zedník was stable and after conversing with officials . The announcement over the public address speakers at HSBC Arena that Zedník was in stable condition and en - route to a Buffalo hospital sparked a standing ovation for Zedník and all the medical staff involved . On February 11 , ESPN and Rogers Sportsnet reported that Zedník was " stable and talking " in the Intensive Care Unit of Buffalo General Hospital , following emergency surgery to repair his carotid artery , which was slashed in the incident . Zedník lost five units of blood , but according to doctors , his life was not in jeopardy . It should be noted that the artery was not severed and doctors note that if the artery had been severed , it would have recessed into the neck , requiring more extensive surgery to repair . On February 12 , the CBC reported that Zedník was upgraded to good condition and could be discharged from the hospital as early as the weekend , though doctors stressed that he would most likely be sidelined for the remainder of the 2007 – 08 NHL season . This prognosis proved accurate , as Zedník was released on February 16 but missed the rest of the season . The incident was similar to an accident in Buffalo on March 22 , 1989 , when Sabres goalie Clint Malarchuk had his jugular vein accidentally severed by an opponent ' s skate blade . After watching video of the incident , Zedník said that " once is enough " . Although neck guards are not mandatory in the NHL , he intends to wear one when he plays again . Zedník received a lot of support for his injury by fans and fellow hockey players alike . The Panthers ' website received more than 20 , 000 get - well messages . Zedník also took a call from the president of his native Slovakia , Ivan Gašparovič . He returned to Florida to play in the 2008 – 09 season . In his first game back since the injury he picked up two assists . International play . Played for Slovakia in :