With all of the backlash that is coming from the Richard Zednik incident, one question that doesn’t seem to want to go away, is whether a game should be called after incidents of this magnitude.
Most people remember what happened with Jiri Fischer on November 21, 2005. If you don’t, well all you really need to know is that he collapsed while on the bench after his heart went into cardiac arrest. After he was resuscitated by the medical staff at Joe Louis Arena. The game was postponed, and when it was replayed at a later date, the Nashville Predators started the game with the 1-0 lead they held.
Last night, in the aftermath of the the gruesome incident, the game was allowed to carry on after Commissioner Gary Bettman, Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell, and both of the team’s coaches were consulted. They reached an agreement to play out the remainding 10 minutes of the game when they got word that Zednik was in stable condition.
I strongly believe that the game should have been called, and postponed. I cannot fathom the thought of even trying to play hockey after a friend, teammate, and respected opponent endures a near death experience.
