Seven Days Of Scary - One

Here we are. This is the last night of the scariest stuff I could dig up in the world of hockey. All of the stuff presented today will be the best representative that I could find in terms of the most thunderous hits, the scariest uniforms, and the bloodiest fights. I'm even tacking on an extra special "scary stuff" area that didn't fit into any of the categories. If you have a queasy stomach, this area may not be for you. All in all, this will undoubtedly be the bloodiest entry that HBIC has ever put together. Without further adieu, I give you the final entry in the Seven Days of Scary, and HBIC's bloodiest entry thus far.

THUNDEROUS HIT

We have a triple-feature today! You would think that, after getting destroyed once by a player while cruising through the trolley tracks, you would probably keep your head up when playing against that player in the future, right? Here's Tie Domi with the Winnipeg Jets getting sent ass over tea kettle off a wicked Scott Stevens hip check. This won't be the last collision between these two.

Again, you'd think that Domi would learn from that, right? Well, here's Domi with the Maple Leafs playing against the Devils and Scott Stevens.

And just because we're featuring one of the most feared hitters in Scott Stevens tonight, here is Stevens eliminating Paul Kariya with a monsterous shoulder.

SCARY UNIFORM

I've talked about European teams before in terms of their outrageous advertising on their uniforms. I understand that they don't have million-dollar budgets like NHL teams do, so this option allows them to turn a profit while fielding a team. That's great, and I support the teams that do this without making the uniform look like a giant billboard.

Unfortunately, one such team is HC Asiago from the Serie A Hockey League in Italy. This is a team that has been in existence since 1937, and has boasted former NHL players in their lineup such as Mathieu Dandenault, Rico Fata, Greg Hawgood, Cliff Ronning, Doug Wickenheiser, and Stephane Quintal. However, their uniforms are bloody awful! The name of their team appears only on the hem of the jersey, not the chest like every other hockey team has done. There are at least seven individual advertisements on the uniform in that picture. And the stars just make it even more busy. I have a headache just from looking at them!

Honestly, this is one of the worst jerseys I have ever seen. And this is coming from a guy who loves the Islanders' Fisherman jersey!

BLOODY FIGHTS

Without a doubt, this is the bloodiest fight I have ever seen in the NHL. Boston's Zdeno Chara uses Chicago's David Koci as a punching bag. I'm almost certain that Koci needed a blood transfusion after his face exploded from Chara's haymakers.

MORE BLOOD THAN NECESSARY

Clint Malarchuk's gruesome neck injury. This is another angle found on YouTube. This is absolutely brutal. If the sight of blood makes you ill, please do not watch this.

And as bad as that was, linesman Pat Dapuzzo's injuries are simply horrific.

Here are Dapuzzo's comments on what happened, compliments of the Fanhouse:

"When Steve Downie was checked by Fedor Tyutin and we became entangled along the boards, Downie's leg whipped around and his skate blade cut my nose off. There was a hole in my face. I was on all fours and was bleeding badly. I thought I had lost my eye. Other than that, I don't remember much about the immediate impact of the skate hitting my face. I was later diagnosed with a concussion from the collision, after they sent me to a trauma center in Camden, New Jersey.

"When I saw three fights had simultaneously broken out between the Rangers and the Flyers after Tyutin hit Downie, I tried to break them up. I guess I was delusional, but I'm old-school -- always was and always will be. I know I was a mess, but my job was to monitor those altercations and end them. If you watch the tape, I actually shove (referee) Kelly Sutherland aside so I can try and do my job. I was thinking that if my mentor (former NHL linesman and supervisor) John D'Amico was looking down from heaven, he would have kicked my butt for not taking care of business.

"Jim Ramsey, the Rangers trainer, came on the ice and got me. He put a towel over my eyes. I could not see a thing from all the blood. 'Rammer' brought me to the Flyers' trainers. Their doctors sewed my nose back on. It took more than 40 stitches. The doctors were alarmed because my left eye was drooping. They told me I could not go back on the ice because I could die. My face was fractured. That was when I realized this was more than just a brutal cut."

Both of these incidents are extremely scary. All my best wishes go out to Clint Malarchuk and Pat Dapuzzo. Those two men are still alive today thanks to some quick actions by training staff and medical personnel, and it's hard to watch that kind of stuff.

With that, the Seven Days of Scary are over. Tomorrow, since you made it this far, I'll have a special post that you will certainly be interested in. Halloween is all about giving stuff away, and there will be opportunities to get some free stuff from HBIC.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!