Cold Blooded

You know your week hasn’t gone as it should when your name appears in a headline like the one Panthers forward Richard Zednik generated in the Miami Herald: “Panthers’ Zednik lucky to be alive.” Earlier this month, Zednik made possibly the biggest news in the National Hockey League by catching Olli Jokinen’s skate across his carotid artery during a game in Buffalo. A half-gallon of blood spilled out before doctors could put a cork in him. A surgeon later described him as “very lucky,” which is surgeon talk for, “one of the unluckiest sons-of-bitches in town tonight, who at least happens not to be dead.”

For the Panthers at large, who lurk on the fringe of the playoff chase, the memory of the icy, slasher-flick-style blood trail could indeed be a lucky turn. Zednik, now out of commission for the season, may become the Panthers’ Gipper. See if they can justify his blood against the so-so Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the BankAtlantic Center (One Panthers Pkwy., Sunrise). Tickets start at $17. Call 954-523-3309, or visit www.floridapanthers.com.
Wed., Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m., 2008