Clint Malarchuk

Clint Malarchuk
Malarchuk playing for the Quebec Nordiques in 1986
Born	(1961-05-01) May 1, 1961 Grande Prairie, AB, CAN
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	NHL Quebec Nordiques Washington Capitals Buffalo Sabres IHL San Diego Gulls Las Vegas Thunder
NHL Draft	74th overall, 1981 Quebec Nordiques
Playing career	1981–1996

Clint Malarchuk (born May 1, 1961) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1981 and 1992. He has been a coach for four NHL teams and two minor league teams, most recently the Calgary Flames. He was born in Grande Prairie, Alberta, raised in Edmonton, Alberta, and lives in Alberta and Nevada.^[1]

Malarchuk is best known for having survived a life-threatening injury during a 1989 NHL game when St. Louis Blues player Steve Tuttle's skate blade slashed his carotid artery,^[2] causing immediate massive blood loss.

Playing career

Malarchuk played junior hockey for the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He then went on to play professionally in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals, and Buffalo Sabres, and in the International Hockey League (IHL) for the Las Vegas Thunder. He had a career record of 141 wins, 130 losses, 45 ties, 12 shutouts, and an .885 save percentage. On April 20, 1984, Malarchuk was a participant in a brawl between the Nordiques and the Montreal Canadiens, known as the Good Friday Massacre.

Neck incident

During a game on March 22, 1989, between the visiting St. Louis Blues and Malarchuk's Buffalo Sabres, Steve Tuttle of the Blues and Uwe Krupp of the Sabres became entangled while chasing the puck and crashed hard into the Buffalo goal, taking Malarchuk down with them. As Tuttle and Krupp came down on him, Tuttle's skate blade hit Malarchuk's neck and severed his carotid artery.^[2]

With blood spurting from Malarchuk's throat onto the ice, he was able to leave the ice on his own feet with the assistance of his team's athletic trainer, Jim Pizzutelli.^[3] Many spectators were physically sickened by the sight.^[4] There were reports that eleven fans fainted, two more suffered heart attacks and three players vomited on the ice.^[5][6] Local television cameras covering the game cut away from the sight of Malarchuk bleeding after noticing what had happened, and Sabres announcers Ted Darling and Mike Robitaille were audibly shaken. At the production room of the national cable sports highlight show, a producer scrolled his tape back to show the event to two other producers, who both started screaming.^[7]

Malarchuk, meanwhile, believed he was going to die. "All I wanted to do was get off the ice", said Malarchuk. "My mother was watching the game on TV, and I didn't want her to see me die."^[8] Aware that his mother had been watching the game on TV, he had an equipment manager call and tell her he loved her. Then he asked for a priest.^[9]

Malarchuk's life was saved due to quick action by the team's athletic trainer, Jim Pizzutelli, a former Army medic who served in Vietnam. He reached into Malarchuk's neck and pinched off the blood vessel, not letting go until doctors arrived to begin stabilizing the wound. The team doctor then applied extreme pressure by kneeling on his collarbone—a procedure designed to produce a low breathing rate and low metabolic state, which is preferable to exsanguination. Previous reports have suggested doctors worked for hours to save Malarchuk's life, however this is an overestimate. He was conscious and talking on the way to the hospital. (He asked paramedics if they could bring him back in time for the third period ^[1]). The game resumed when league personnel received word that the player was in stable condition.

Malarchuk lost 1.5 liters of blood.^[2] It took doctors a total of 300 stitches to close the wound.^[9][10]

Malarchuk's performance declined over the next few years, until he decided to leave the NHL. After this, he struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder (as he had since a young age), as well as nightmares and alcoholism,^[11] but he eventually returned to hockey, in the International Hockey League. After retiring as a player, Malarchuk continued his hockey career as a coach.

On February 10, 2008, coincidentally again in Buffalo, Florida Panthers player Richard Zedník suffered an injury similar to Malarchuk after Olli Jokinen's skate blade cut the side of Zednik's neck, injuring his external carotid artery. Although he initially refused to view the footage, upon viewing it Malarchuk was taken aback, saying that he didn't think his memory of his own incident would come back after 19 years. He sought treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder the following year.^[12]

Minor pro career

In 1992-93, Malarchuk was a goaltender for the IHL's San Diego Gulls and played in the league championship.^[13] The following season he became starting goaltender for the Las Vegas Thunder, appearing in 55 games and accumulating a record of 34-10-7. He was later hired as the team's head coach and assistant GM. His jersey number was retired by the Thunder and hangs from the rafters of the Thomas & Mack Center.

Coaching career

Malarchuk served as head coach of the IHL Las Vegas Thunder in the 1998-99 season and the Idaho Steelheads until 2000. Afterwards he was a goaltending coach for the NHL Florida Panthers during the 2002-03 season. He was signed as the goaltending coach for 2006–07 by the Columbus Blue Jackets. In August 2010 Malarchuk agreed to become the goaltending consultant for the Atlanta Thrashers.^[14] On June 17, 2011, Calgary Flames announced hiring Malarchuk as their Goaltender coach.^[15] On June 17, 2014, the Calgary Flames announced they parted ways with Malarchuk and were searching for a new goaltending coach. He had earlier taken leave during the 2013-14 season for personal reasons.^[16][17]

Gun incident

On October 7, 2008, Malarchuk suffered what, according to his wife, Joan, was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chin from a .22 caliber rifle at his residence in Fish Springs, Nevada after a period of stress and domestic problems. The incident was initially described as an accident while hunting rabbits,^[18][19] but both the goalie and his wife have since admitted it was a suicide attempt.^[20] On October 10, 2008, The Douglas County, Nevada sheriff's investigation concluded the shooting was accidental under suspicious circumstances, but afterwards Joan Malarchuk said she unequivocally told the sheriff it was a suicide attempt "so that he would get the help he needed".

Officers and paramedics at the scene reported that Malarchuk, who was bleeding from both his mouth and chin, was uncooperative and refused treatment. Joan Malarchuk said she sat with her husband, who was bleeding, and comforted him because she was afraid he would lash out again and get shot by police.^[21] Malarchuk was later flown to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno for treatment and released less than a week after the shooting. He then spent approximately 6 months in a rehab being treated for alcoholism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.^[2]

The Canadian Press reported that Joan informed authorities that her husband was not supposed to consume alcohol as he was on prescription medications for obsessive-compulsive disorder, but was doing so anyway at the time of the accident.^[22][23]

Personal life

After his playing career Malarchuk settled on a ranch in Fish Springs, Nevada where he and his wife at the time raised three kids, and emus. In the mid 2000s, he became certified as an veterinary technician and runs a practice as a horse dentist and chiropractor from his ranch.

A visiting photographer once had his camera flash stolen by Clint Malarchuk's emus.^[24]

Malarchuk released an autobiography called "The Crazy Game" in November 2014.^[21][25]

During his time with the Calgary Flames organization, Malarchuk was a guest speaker at local high schools about issues surrounding injury, self-injury, and mental health.^[1][26]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season									Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA		GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA
1977–78	Fort Saskatchewan Traders	AJHL		33	23	9	1	2015	157	1	4.67		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Fort Saskatchewan Traders	AJHL		52	36	15	1	3030	204	1	4.04		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1978–79	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		2	2	0	0	120	4	0	2.00		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1979–80	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		37	21	10	0	1948	147	0	4.53		1	0	0	40	3	0	4.50
1980–81	Portland Winter Hawks	WHL		38	28	8	0	2235	142	3	3.81		5	3	2	307	21	0	4.10
1981–82	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		2	0	1	1	120	14	0	7.00		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1981–82	Fredericton Express	AHL		51	15	34	2	2906	247	0	5.10		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		15	8	5	2	900	71	0	4.63		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1982–83	Fredericton Express	AHL		25	14	6	5	1506	78	0	3.11		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		23	10	9	2	1215	80	0	3.95		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1983–84	Fredericton Express	AHL		11	5	5	1	663	40	0	3.62		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1984–85	Fredericton Express	AHL		56	26	25	4	3347	198	2	3.55		6	2	4	379	20	0	3.17
1985–86	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		46	26	12	4	2657	142	4	3.21		3	0	2	143	11	0	4.62
1986–87	Quebec Nordiques	NHL		54	18	26	9	3092	175	1	3.40		3	0	2	140	8	0	3.43
1987–88	Washington Capitals	NHL		54	24	20	4	2924	154	4	3.16		4	0	2	193	15	0	4.65
1988–89	Washington Capitals	NHL		42	16	18	7	2428	141	1	3.48		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1988–89	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		7	3	1	1	326	13	1	2.39		1	0	1	59	5	0	5.07
1989–90	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		29	14	11	2	1596	89	0	3.35		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1990–91	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		37	12	14	10	2131	119	1	3.35		4	2	2	246	17	0	4.15
1991–92	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		29	10	13	3	1639	102	0	3.73		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1991–92	Rochester Americans	AHL		2	2	0	0	120	3	1	1.50		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1992–93	San Diego Gulls	IHL		27	17	3	3	1516	72	3	2.85		12	6	4	668	34	0	3.05
1993–94	Las Vegas Thunder	IHL		55	34	10	7	3076	172	1	3.35		5	1	3	257	16	0	3.74
1994–95	Las Vegas Thunder	IHL		38	15	13	3	2039	127	0	3.74		2	0	0	32	2	0	3.70
1995–96	Las Vegas Thunder	IHL		1	0	0	0	4	0	0	0.00		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1996–97	Las Vegas Thunder	IHL		3	1	1	0	63	6	0	5.63		—	—	—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				338	141	130	45	19028	1100	12	3.47		15	2	9	782	56	0	4.30

References

• Career statistics: "Clint Malarchuk player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2013-11-24. 

External links

• Clint Malarchuk's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Malarchuk's horrific accident still etched in memory

Idaho Steelheads head coaches Langevin Malarchuk Olver Laxdal Sauter Ralph