So I almost got Kevin Bieksa'd

[Andoy 5]

For those that aren't too familiar with the Kevin Bieksa incident, last year he suffered a gruesome injury in a freak accident where a nashville player accidentally stepped on the back of his leg, lacerating his calf. Bieksa was out for a good 8 months.

Yesterday a similar thing happened to me. I dont know exactly how it happened but me and a dude were racing for the puck when we made contact with each other. Immediately I felt his skate hit the back of my right leg. I couldn't get up and first thing that came to mind was "oh man I think I just got cut".

I was right. I must have been flexing forward when the skate made contact with my leg (as it would have been covered by the tendon guard had I been upright. I was helped back and took out my skates/socks and it was bleeding quite a bit. Luckily it wasn't a deep cut it was just mostly broken skin but an inch or two to the right and it would have been my achilles

[Fletch 219]

Damn, man......that's crazy. Glad it wasn't too bad.

[Andoy 5]

Yeah I was really scared when I couldnt get up. When it bled I already assumed the worst but luck was on my side! As of now it's just pretty sore but most likely from the impact more than anything.

Thing is I just bought new shinpads a few weeks ago and specifically got one with added calf protection so I wasn't really expecting this! But I guess in hockey or anything in general you can never be too prepared.

[SuperMan3 1]

If it was an inch or two to the right, It would have gotten the tendon of the skate and not your achilles

[chef_ducky 0]

Good Luck with the heeling process!

[Smitty34 0]

Glad that you made it out without much damage. That really could have been bad.

[Goonsquad 209]

Yeah I was really scared when I couldnt get up. When it bled I already assumed the worst but luck was on my side! As of now it's just pretty sore but most likely from the impact more than anything.

Thing is I just bought new shinpads a few weeks ago and specifically got one with added calf protection so I wasn't really expecting this! But I guess in hockey or anything in general you can never be too prepared.

Could be that the skate slipped on the calf protector and down.... I think that's the only bad thing about having a neck guard .. not only will it protect the area, but it can deflect a direct shot.

Good luck with the healing process!

[UnTcHaBl21 0]

get well soon

[5HoleMadman 6]

Wow, that's scary. Hope you get better soon.

[DavidT 11]

Im just curious as to how different socks could have prevented this? Ive seen the same incidents with regular socks.

[Andoy 5]

If it was an inch or two to the right, It would have gotten the tendon of the skate and not your achilles

Looking at the cut, the skate seemed like it did slide down my sock and didn't come down perpendicular. It is even more so because i have hairy legs and the area above the cut is completely shaven off! Regardless I'm not going to complain, the swelling and soreness has gone down since yesterday and I should be able to hit the ice in a few days.

As for the socks I guess it was wrong for me to say that it would have been worse had I been wearing EDGE or Swift socks but those things are very thin so I can't help it but think that the damage would have been amplified had I been wearing a pair. I was also wearing of over the calf socks so that may have also helped limit the damage.

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

Swift socks have a ripstop material woven in the back of the sock.

[skeeter14 0]

Swift socks have a ripstop material woven in the back of the sock.

sorry if this is a stupid question, but would that stop the blade from cutting at all? i'm assuming edge socks don't have anything like this?

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

I figure "ripstop" would stop rips.

[Goonsquad 209]

I figure "ripstop" would stop rips.

But I don't think it stops cuts...

I remember lacing up some new boots in an crowded room. I was kicking in the heels and accidental caught my bag with the blade. I sliced a 3 inch opening in the bag and didn't notice that it was cut until i got home and emptied it.

I do not think the rip proceeded to open up when i was lugging my gear but I could see where the blade hit the bag (black lines running side by side about a 1/4" thick")

Granted these were newly sharpened skates...

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

Ugh...ripstop is anti-abrasion material. It is meant to prevent cuts.

Gretzky demanded that it be added to Swift when Team Canada tested the socks.

One of those days...think I'm going to take a MSH break.

[TBLfan 25]

You use swifts socks as a hockey bag? I'm confused.

[Goonsquad 209]

Ugh...ripstop is anti-abrasion material. It is meant to prevent cuts.

Gretzky demanded that it be added to Swift when Team Canada tested the socks.

One of those days...think I'm going to take a MSH break.

abrading and cutting, to me, are two different things. with abrasions the material is rubbed on rougher surfaces. Cutting to me are slices from sharp objects

You use swifts socks as a hockey bag? I'm confused.

Sorry.. it was in reference to the rip stop material on the bag.. not to the swift socks..

[DavidT 11]

Agreed.

Ripstops are strictly for preventing a material from ripping or tearing further apart after a cut has been created. They have a favorable weight to strength ratio that help to prevent the tear from further damaging and keeping some durability of the item.

I figure "ripstop" would stop rips.

But I don't think it stops cuts...

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

Well, that's what I was told the material was and why it was added.

[Goonsquad 209]

Well, that's what I was told the material was and why it was added.

Heck I didn't know my runner was rockered until a year after I started to learn how to skate.. :lol:

I think there is a market for some sort of protection for cuts. something like a reinforced areas of the sock...

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

The original Swift sock was like the EDGE - Gretzky told them they needed to put material back there that would be cut-resistant. The result is that grey-ish material under the vent on the Swift sock. You can go into semantics all you want, but that's what they called it and that's what it does.

[Goonsquad 209]

In light of the Bieksa incident, were similar Gretzky-type recommendations made with the Edge socks?

I know there was a big to do about neck guards when Zednik had his throat slashed, but l think the NHL just chalked it up to be a fluke accident.

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

No, I think the difference was that Canada was testing the product and so it was easier to make a running change.

[Kevin 5]

I actually had my calf muscle sliced with a skate. A few years ago I went out to cover the point in a heated game. I ran into him, knocking him on his ass, but as he was falling his legs kicked up and one his skates cut my calf as I was skating away. It did not hurt, but I could not put pressure on the leg. I went to the bench, but had no idea what had happened until my teammate noticed that I was bleeding.

I figured that it was just a surface slice that might need a few stitches. I was shocked when I got my sock and shinpad off and saw a 4 inch long gash, which was twice as wide and cut into the muscle. There was surprising little blood for the size of the cut.

It took a long time to get stitched up and I saw many more doctors than usual for ER stitches (you never want to hear “be careful not cause compartment syndrome.”) I was on crutches for about a month and had to go to PT for about month. I had no problems after PT, but did immediately buy new shinpads with better calf protection. I was very lucky there was no nerve damage and the skate missed major blood vessels.