A slit throat and a shot in the head: the story of the unkillable hockey player Malarchuk

In life, every person has a case when he is on the verge of death. Sometimes fate gives you one chance, rarely more. Canadian hockey player Clint Malarchuk was on the edge three times, but still survived. He, like no one else, knows how close death walks, and teaches others to hold on to life more tightly.

Today, the former goalkeeper of the Buffalo Sabres, Clint Malarchuk, actively maintains accounts in social networks. He communicates with his numerous subscribers and helps them to deal with difficulties. Also, the former athlete conducts lectures in which he teaches ... to live. His favorite expression: "Create a security plan." It is dedicated to those who are visited by suicidal thoughts. Clint is sure that there are no hopeless situations and that life is an invaluable gift worth keeping.

The first time Malarchuk almost died right on the hockey field. On March 22, 1989, he, as the goalkeeper of Buffalo, came out with the team to play against the St. Louis Blues. Everything was going well — the score was 1-0 in favor of his team, and the fight for the puck took place in the opponent's half. We can say that Malarchuk was bored.

But the battle suddenly shifted to his goal, and Clint found himself in a whirlpool of clubs and skates. His team's player Uwe Krupp and Steve Tuttle from the St. Louis Blues collided right next to Malarchuk and, dragging him with them, flew headlong into the goal.

The audience saw Clint fall to the ice, throw off his helmet and grab his throat with his hands. A dark spot began to spread rapidly around him. It turned out that the "bluesman" Tuttle, falling, hit the goalkeeper's throat with a skate. Blood was streaming, but Malarchuk remained conscious. He later said he thought, "That's it, Clint. This is the end. You're going to die now. Right here. In Buffalo."

Sabres coach Jim Pizzutelli saved Clint. He went through Vietnam and was not confused when he saw a terrible wound. He rushed from the bridge to the wounded man and, putting him on his feet, dragged him off the platform. Jim was completely calm and just kept saying, "Clint, let's get out of here and go to the locker room."

In the locker room, Pizzutelli, with the help of the medics who arrived, laid Clint on the table and bandaged his cut throat with bandages. The ambulance arrived very quickly and Malarchuk was taken away for an emergency operation. Clint claims that on the way to the hospital, only one thought was spinning in his head: "Just don't fall asleep, just don't fall asleep." Years later , Malarchuk wrote:

He not only survived, but was able to return to the big sport and continued to play in the NHL. He was back on the ice just 10 days after the injury! In memory of that case, Malarchuk had a 15 cm long scar on his neck. But this is not the only mark he received when meeting death.

Having been on the verge of death, Malarchuk has changed a lot. During the matches, he saw blood on the ice and it seemed that the seam on his neck would break at any moment. At night, nightmares began to visit him, and the goalkeeper practically stopped sleeping. Outwardly, he looked unimportant, but he hid the true cause of depression from everyone. The client was afraid that he would be recognized as crazy and kicked out of the NHL.

The hockey player sought solace in painkillers, antidepressants and alcohol. This could not last for a long time, and in January 1990 there was a denouement. That day there was a party for the completion of the "Super Bowl" and Clint, who was pretty drunk, was terribly sleepy. Hoping to forget himself and finally relax, the hockey player took a taxi home. There, before going to bed, he drained a bottle of scotch and, out of habit, took a handful of pills.

After a few minutes, the explosive mixture of drugs and alcohol began to take effect, and Clint's heart stopped. And again, the guy was lucky — he was not alone at home and close people came to his room on time. He woke up in the clinic, and a psychotherapist was standing by the bed. Malarchuk had to prove for a long time that he was not going to take his own life at all.

As a result, they believed him, but the athlete had to tell doctors, colleagues and friends about his psychological problem. The second meeting with snubnose cost the goalkeeper his career. He was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and alcoholism. Malarchuk left the NHL and played in amateur leagues for several years.

Over time, Clint still completely said goodbye to hockey. He stopped drinking and felt just fine. Malarchuk studied to be a veterinarian, got married for the next (fourth) time and bought an ostrich farm. Everything was fine, and the former NHL player was enjoying life. The past burst into his life on February 10, 2008.

On this day, Buffalo played with the Florida Panthers.  The forward of the Panthers Richard Zednik just like Malarchuk got his neck under the skate, and on the same court! The guy was urgently taken to the hospital and "patched up" just like Clint. This incident knocked Malarchuk out of the rut, forcing him to relive what he tried so hard to forget.

Journalists have added fuel to the fire. They literally attacked Clint, demanding comments from him on the case of Zednik. The former goalkeeper broke down and started abusing whiskey and pills again. His wife Joanna sent him for treatment. Malarchuk was practically insane — he ran away from the clinic without money, in pajamas, and they had to look for him. Then he finally resigned himself and agreed to undergo another course of therapy.

The treatment didn't help much. Clint became restless, suspicious and incredibly jealous. He organized pogroms at home, scandalized and constantly suspected his wife of infidelity. She silently endured, but preferred to rest in the company of her friends, arousing her husband's suspicions even more.

But there were also infrequent moments when idyll came. On one of these days, October 7, 2008, Malarchuk and his friends and wife went hunting. The company planned to shoot some rabbits and have a picnic in nature.

At one of the halts, Clint sat down under a tree and put a loaded gun between his legs. He unsuccessfully leaned on the weapon, pulled the trigger and was shot in the head. All this happened in front of his wife. She was just sure that Clint was dead. Judge for yourself — the bullet passed through the man's mouth, knocked out several teeth and pierced through the skull.

But fortune intervened again, to which Malarchuk for some reason was dear. The charge did not touch the man's brain, and the wound turned out to be dangerous, but not fatal. The wounded man even remained conscious and when the medics arrived, as always, he was hotly arguing with his wife. Clint convinced her it was an accident, not a suicide attempt.

The doctors put Clint in an artificial coma for a few days. When he opened his eyes, his wife was sitting next to his bed. After this incident, Malarchuk promised himself that he would no longer tempt fate, and would live the allotted time without incident.

Since then, 14 years have passed and Clint Malarchuk is holding on for now. He breeds ostriches, blogs and travels around the country, motivating people. "I'm here to help people go through difficulties," is how he responds to those who ask him about his purpose in life.

British pilot Timothy Lancaster can be considered no less lucky. This guy has been on the verge of death only once, but at the same time his story is no less amazing.