Table of Contents
Last week, Adam Johnson, an ice hockey player from Minnesota, USA, passed away. He was cut in the neck by a skate blade during a game.
Because of the terrible accident, people have started to talk about player safety in ice hockey.
Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in the UK when the freak accident happened. Before playing in the UK, the 29-year-old played on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL.
Fatal injuries in ice hockey are rare, but they have happened in the past.
In 1989, Clint Malarchuk, a goaltender for the NHL’s Buffalo Sabers had a similar neck injury but survived. In 2008, the Florida Panthers’ Richard Zednick also got a life-threatening cut but survived. They were lucky.
Ice skate blades are the biggest risk of severe injury in ice hockey.
Because of these injuries, some people say neck guards should be mandatory to reduce the risk of cuts. However, these guards are not required in many leagues, including the NHL.
In addition to skate blade injuries, ice hockey also has a risk of spine and brain injuries, which can be deadly. Hockey is high-speed and aggressive. A study in the US in 2020 showed that ice hockey players are more likely to get a spine injury than American football players.
Although ice hockey has many severe risks, it has fewer overall injuries compared to sports like American football, soccer, and basketball, according to US safety data from 2022.
Vocabulary
- Player – Someone who takes part in a sport or game
- Pass away – to die; to stop living
- Neck – The part of your body that connects your head to the rest of your body.
- Skate – ⛸️; A shoe with a blade attached to the bottom, used for skating on ice.
- Blade – The sharp, flat part of a skate or a knife
- Terrible – really, really bad or awful
- Accident – something that happens unexpectedly or without warning, usually a bad thing; an event not intended by anyone; mishap
- Safety – being safe from harm or danger
- Freak accident – A very unusual and unexpected event that can cause harm
- Fatal – Something that results in death; Causing death
- Injury – wound; damage to the body; broken body part
- Rare – not common; scarce; not a lot; very limited supply
- Goaltender – The player who protects the goal in hockey; The player in ice hockey who tries to stop the puck from going into the net
- Survive – To stay alive or keep going even if the situation/circumstance is difficult or dangerous
- Life-threatening – Something that can seriously harm or even cause death; Dangerous enough to cause death
- Risk – danger; chance of danger; the possibility of danger
- Severe – Something very serious or extreme
- Guard – protective equipment; safety device or gear
- Mandatory – required; necessary; have to; obligatory
- Reduce – to make less; make smaller; decrease; bring down; shrink
- Required – necessary; have to; obligatory; mandatory
- League – a group of sports teams or players who play games against each other to see who is best (Most countries have a professional soccer league)
- In addition – furthermore; additionally; plus; moreover; also
- Spine – The bones in your back that help you stand up straight
- Brain – 🧠; the organ in humans and animals that we use to think
- Aggressive – Violent; hostile; ready to attack; forceful
- Study – the activity of examining/studying something in detail to discover new information; research; investigation
- Show – to prove something or make the truth or existence of something known; confirm; demonstrate; to display; to represent
- More likely – When something has a better chance of happening; More probable
- Although – even though; despite the fact; however; but
- Overall – in general; in all;
- According to – as ‘someone’ said; as stated by ‘someone’; in the opinion of ‘someone’
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- Do you think ice hockey is a dangerous sport? Why or why not?
- Do you think neck guards should be mandatory in ice hockey? Why or why not?
- How important is it for athletes to wear protective gear in sports? Give your opinion.
- In your opinion, should dangerous sports be banned?
Original Story
Fill-in-the-Blank Listening Practice
Last week, _____ Johnson, an ice hockey player from Minnesota, _____, passed away. He was cut in the _____ by a skate blade during a game.
_____ of the terrible accident, people have started to _____ about player safety in ice hockey.
Johnson was _____ for the Nottingham Panthers in the UK when the freak accident _____. Before playing in the UK, the 29-year-old played on _____ Pittsburgh Penguins in the _____.
Fatal injuries in ice hockey are _____, but they have happened in the past.
In _____, Clint Malarchuk, a goaltender for the NHL’s Buffalo Sabers _____ a similar neck injury but survived. In 2008, the Florida Panthers’ Richard Zednick _____ got a life-threatening _____ but survived. They were _____.
Ice skate blades are the biggest risk of _____ injury in ice hockey.
Because of these _____, some people say neck guards should be mandatory to reduce the _____ of cuts. However, these _____ are not required in many leagues, including the NHL.
In _____ to skate blade injuries, ice hockey also has a risk of spine and _____ injuries, which can be deadly. _____ is high-speed and aggressive. A study in the US in _____ showed that ice hockey players are _____ likely to get a spine injury than American football _____.
Although ice hockey has _____ severe risks, it has fewer overall injuries compared to _____ like American football, soccer, and _____, according to US safety data from 2022.
