Quote Originally Posted by CopenhagenBlue View Post
I've not watched as much as you, but got quite into it the last 7 years or so since a holiday in Toronto and caught the bug of the sport since watching them. I've read a fair amount of stuff from Canadian fans about this. None I've seen think that think this was deliberate in any way. The week after, many NHL players started wearing neck guards to protect against this type of injury. A Leafs player was seriously injured a couple of years ago after a random accident that slashed his leg open. That could also have been life ending, but thankfully wasn't. The speed ice hockey is played at,, with razor sharp blades on their feet, it's surprising more serious incidents don't occur.
No way did any hockey player go out to end someone like this. This is a sport where there's so many unwritten rules about fighting on the ice, 'etiquette' if you will.
I've only watched one live game of ice hockey, so I'm no expert.
However, I read the 'comments section' to a video which was posted on YouTube. The majority of those leaving comments seemed to be North Americans who claimed to have been life-long followers of the sport. They mostly said that in their view the opponent deliberately stuck out his leg - not with an intention of causing such a fatal injury, but definitely to try and impede.