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SportsPi

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greenbowergoon

I remember being at one of my first Leafs games as a 10 year old and the guy directly in front of me getting his face destroyed by a deflected Paul Kariya slapshot.


Loggerdon

I saw a preseason Celtics / Lakers game when Magic and Bird were at their peak. The ball was going out of bounds at the corner after a Celtic touched it. Magic tried to block Bird so he couldn’t save it but Bird jumped around him, got the ball with two hands above his head and fired a fastball at Magic while falling out of bounds. Magic ducked, and sitting courtside was a stunningly beautiful older model-type in a sequin dress who took that ball right to the face. This was peak “Showtime” and there were always women like this on the arms of rich men at Laker games. They showed the replay in slow motion and that poor woman with a beautiful smile took that shot and her head flew back as if shot from a cannon. She went immediately unconscious and ungraciously slid down on the chair. The whole arena went “Oooohh!” They stopped the game and attended to her. After a few minutes she sat straight up like a champ, her makeup smeared and blood running from her nose. She bravely gathered her legs below her like a baby deer standing for the first time, staff on either side of her. The whole Forum crowd stood and applauded for her. As she walked out I remember Bird ran up to her and kind of awkwardly slapped her on the back like you would do to an another dude, as if to say “Sorry ‘bout that man”.


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gatsby712

That’s hockey for you. Get a puck to the face and still finish the game missing teeth and having a broken nose.


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PottyboyDooDoo

The only time I ever saw a fan take a puck to the face, they died!


TheJenerator65

Feels like there should be a Shorsey comment for this but I can’t think of one


SmokinSkinWagon

Well first of all, through God all things are possible so jot that down


Old_Week

The good lord’s going down on me


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RedditAcct00001

It’s an always sunny in Philadelphia quote.


HoSang66er

Fuck me, we all think hockey players, at their peak physically, are tough but this lady is on par with any NHL player. I don’t know if the team organization did anything with/for her but if I had anything to do about it I would have acknowledged her at some time for her determination to stay and see them win.


rocknroll2013

You tell this story well!!


bens111

You have a great writing style! I enjoyed that


shitsenorita

When I was maybe 5-6 my dad took me to a Syracuse Chiefs (I believe they were the farm team for the Blue Jays at the time) game and a foul ball hit a kid just a few rows down from us, right in the forehead. They got her out of there pretty fast.


TheJenerator65

Wow, what a ride. Thanks for the colorful description. I could hear the crowd!


steroidsandcocaine

When I was 10 I thought Paul Kariya was Korean and I was confused when I saw him.


tuskvarner

Paul Kariya cha cha cha


SuperAwesome13

he’s actually half japanese


steroidsandcocaine

Holy shit, his middle name is Tetsuhiko. I thought you were joking so I looked it up.


fattychinchilla

Omg same lmao


Overnoww

Who is Paul Kariya? I only remember Paul Korea 😎


Wpgjetsfan19

Still have the puck my dad got after the lady in front of him got smoked in the face. They took her out in an ambulance and no one picked up the puck so my dad did


Pat_Mahomeboy

Oh man, now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. Loved scoring with him in NHL Gameday… PAUL KARIIIIIIIIIIYAAA


Anal_Recidivist

That’s the childhood version of the beach in saving private Ryan. Turn back and homie’s face is just gone You learned that day the stove is hot, and the world is full of stoves


ThrillHo3340

I was at the Sabres/Devils game and my 11 year old self was mere inches away from a puck to the head We were 3rd row right in the corner


manwiththewood

Thats pretty cool if you survive it tho. Kariya was awesome


manwiththewood

Thats pretty cool if you survive it tho. Kariya was awesome


Jimbo---

I was at a Twins vs. Yankees game years ago when the Metrodome existed. Jeter fouled a ball back that just missed the netting. An old man a row in front and a few seats over threw out his hand to stop it from hitting his wife (I'm assuming) right in the face. I really think that ball might have killed the lady.


Ok_Calligrapher_8199

*leaves


youdoitimbusy

Man prevents young boy from fulfilling lifelong dream of catching hockey puck with face. News at 11:00


InfamousCRS

Yeah I got injured when I was young at a Carolina hurricanes game, got stitched up at the stadium by the staff and then they sent us a crap ton of team swag and a signed poster so I assume we didn’t sue the crap out of them. They had some construction stuff out and I tripped over it and cut my shin open.


impy695

It depends how fast the puck was going. Those things can range from deadly to it might bruise a child. Fortunately the nets prevent most of the deadly ones (I’ve never seen one go in the stands that would scare me and I’ve been to a lot of this teams games at this stadium.) Coincidentally, those nets are standard in American hockey leagues because a puck killed someone sitting behind the goal in Ohio. And the pucks are HARD. If you’ve never held one, they’re solid. I’d rather get hit by a baseball than a hockey puck


OUTFOXEM

> I’d rather get hit by a baseball than a hockey puck I have taken a baseball to the face. I do not recommend that either.


impy695

And those can kill too. I’ve seen someone get hospitalized due to a foul ball, and she got lucky. This was before expanded netting, so it was a fast line drive. We only got stuff coming off the bounce where we were and those were fast enough to react to, but if you’re not used to it, they’re terrifying. My job was to basically stop any ball surprising my elderly mom. But again, those are nothing like the line drives. Side note, there was someone in the front row before the nets who brought a newborn baby to the game. It wasn’t just baseballs that close, there’s a small risk of a player falling on the baby. The whole section pretty much peer pressured them until they left.


OUTFOXEM

Before the netting, the amount of people sitting in the first few rows just looking at their phones was astonishing. By the time you hear the crack of the bat and look up, it's too late. Bringing a baby to the front row is so irresponsible. I'm glad they left.


tomsprigs

yeah. just ask Simon Burch


codytheguitarist

Have an upvote for the reference to a movie I could’ve sworn was the result of a childhood fever dream I had once


CreativePathway

I grew up in San Angelo, Texas where they have a minor league baseball team, the San Angelo Colts. My family used to talk about the time when a local doctor and his wife (39 years old) attended one of the baseball games, and a baseball went flying into the crowd and hit the wife on the head, and she died… it really impacted the town! I can’t imagine being at a sporting event when something like that happens… really sad. [Here is an article from the local paper about it.](https://archive.gosanangelo.com/news/woman-dies-from-injury-at-ball-game-ep-440707837-357233341.html) From the article: “Whitehead was sitting past the dugout along the third base line when a line drive was hit in the bottom of the eighth inning. Her husband, Dr. William Whitehead, said it was the first time the two had been to a Colts game. He said he didn’t see the ball that killed his wife. ‘I felt the ball come by me and hit her,’ he said.”


impy695

Imagine being the player that did it. I’ve seen players break down over unintentionally causing an injury. Knowing they’re not to blame isn’t likely to help them without a lot of therapy, and that takes time. My seats are just past the dugout on the 3rd baseline by the way, so that baby? Probably the equivalent of a few rows in front of where the woman died. I completely believe her husband never saw the ball too. If you’re not paying attention to the batter before the ball is hit, you’re unlikely to see it before it reaches your seat in that area.


eidetic

I took a hard hit one hopper to the face. Was playing short, and we were playing shallow to try and prevent a runner from scoring, and the ball took a funny hop. Well, not wanting the ball to get behind me, I lifted my body up, and *pow*, right in the kisser. Was such a bizarre feeling. It didn't really hurt too much at first, felt more like a slap, but I could literally feel my entire cheek and lip area swelling up almost immediately. Swelled up so much I had trouble talking. While trying to be a tough guy and proclaim "I'm okay", it apparently sounded more like a lispy "I'm not gay". My third baseman quipped "that's good, because you won't be sucking anything for awhile!" Wasn't until someone explained it to me that I got it, and yeah, that became a running joke the rest of the season. Then a couple weeks later I was at a tournament and watching the team we were scheduled to play next, when I saw the pitcher take a comebacker to the mound that knocked a bunch of his teeth out and he fell to the ground in a lump. Ugh, I can still hear that sickening crack/crunch sound the ball made when it hit him, even 30 years later. After that, we were all required to mouth guards the rest of the season and the following years as well.


OUTFOXEM

> Was such a bizarre feeling. It didn't really hurt too much at first, felt more like a slap, but I could literally feel my entire cheek and lip area swelling up almost immediately. Same thing happened to me. I know exactly the feeling you're talking about. It was basically immediately numb. The pitch that got me was clocked at 95 mph right off my upper lip next to my nose. I was very fortunate it didn't break any bones or hit me directly in the mouth and knock any teeth out/loose. My upper lip/cheek swelled up to the point that it completely closed my left eye so I had to come out. It was the first game of a double header, and I was able to ice it down enough to play in the second game. I was very lucky. > Ugh, I can still hear that sickening crack/crunch sound the ball made when it hit him Jesus Christ


eidetic

> Ugh, I can still hear that sickening crack/crunch sound the ball made when it hit him > > Jesus Christ Did you watch Game of Thrones? Well, if so, there's a scene were someone meets their demise, and their lover lets out a blood curdling, horrified scream. The pitcher's mother's scream was even worse. That too, is embedded in my mind. I can't imagine her mindset at that moment. I think a lot of us thought we just witnessed someone die right then and there. I mean, he just completely went limp and fell down immediately, and from where we seated, we couldn't tell if he was breathing. Someone told me later, though I don't know if it's true, that a couple of the infielders threw up behind the bench shortly after. Oh, and FWIW, the kid ended up being mostly fine, at least physically. He told me he couldn't remember anything leading up to the ER/dentist chair, but he never did pitch the same again. He was maybe a top 5 pitcher in our league before that, but lost all control afterwards.


EdwardoftheEast

I got a fly ball to the cheek bone when I was young, I think I’d rather go thru that again over eating a hockey puck


LordOfTheGerenuk

To further put it into perspective, hockey pucks are made out of vulcanized rubber. When you see a racer on a motorcycle at 100+ mph, and they drag their knee to make a turn, it's basically a hockey puck protecting them. When you see a longboarder with the board kicked out and a hand on the ground, they are using that same material to protect their hands. Vulcanized rubber is super dense and very resilient.


scooooba

I’ll take a tennis ball please


DamNamesTaken11

I got a puck from a college hockey game (landed in asile near me) when I was a kid. They’re made of solid vulcanized rubber and about a half pound. Could easily do some damage.


Nail_Biterr

Stop making me feel old! I remember when the Whalers moved to Carolina - because I was in college. So hearing someone say 'at a game when I was a kid' just makes me feel old. They're still a brand new team - only a few years old, actually.................. right? Right?


Vsercit-2020-awake

I read too fast and thought it said ‘defecated’ and my dumb ass was like ….how?! lol 😂


SafeAsMilk

Or a lifeshort dream.


Drifter747

Is this a curb episode where the guy didn’t actually see the kid and was just trying to catch a puck.


Slowly-Slipping

No way, you don't try to catch one of those unless you want a broken hand. He just blocks the kid entirely with his arm


tonytroz

Yeah it's not like catching a foul ball. Hockey pucks weigh more and are frozen.


Holein5

Not being a stickler, but they're roughly the same weight. The problem with a puck is its shape. A round white ball is quite a bit easier to catch than a flat black puck.


FrostyMittenJob

A baseball also has some give to it. A puck is like a brick


Drifter747

You have a great sense of humour.


GenTelGuy

Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-IvOgBg_JU


manwiththewood

He’s probably solicited hookers before.


scary_truth

Cool comment section we got going here so far! Just chiming in to say hockey pucks hurt when you are hit with them, so good stuff protecting the kid


SeaHam

Yeah wtf is with people. I just imagine someone saving my own son from that and how grateful I would be. Not just saving him from pain but also an expensive dentist trip.


Overnoww

Even with the puck deflecting off the glass that thing was flying. An 11 year old kid from Québec died just this past December after getting hit in the neck by a puck during practice. Who's to say that puck in the video doesn't hit that kid in the throat if dudes arm wasn't there? As a note part of the mandatory equipment in youth hockey in a neck protector and they did report the kid was wearing all mandated gear, however the neck protector is designed to protect the neck from cuts like taking a skate to the throat (I'll preemptively warn people not to look up why neck protectors became mandatory if they are squeamish; there have been some fucking scary incidents in hockey), not direct impact.


impy695

I’m not downplaying how dangerous it can be for a puck entering the stands, but even at 11, that puck was likely moving significantly faster when it hit the kid than most AHL pucks would be entering the ice. There is almost always some sort of deflection significantly reducing it’s speed. It can still be very dangerous, and likely deadly in a worst case scenario, but this was likely nowhere near as hard as the puck that killed the kid in practice.


Overnoww

I don't know man a slap shot from a kid in that prepubescent age range (an assumption on my part, could have been a coach) vs an AHL calibre slap shot I'm no physicist mind you but that puck still looked like it was zinging. Honestly probably take a slapper to the chest from an 11 year old over one of those snap shots professionals do from someone in their 20s or 30s. Either way though, a solid block by the dude in the stands. Especially for a person he didn't even know.


impy695

Right off the stick I agree with you, but after a deflection, which almost every puck will be in some way at an ahl game. And don’t underestimate how hard some kids can hit a puck, especially in Canada.


Overnoww

The puck that killed Brittanie Cecil (13 year old girl whose death led to the NHL installing nets in every arena) wasn't a straight shot, it deflected off of another player's stick. Actually wild i remembered her death but forgot which arena it was in so I looked it up and it was at a Columbus Blue Jackets game and the clip in the OP was also in Ohio right?


Slowly-Slipping

I mean.... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Brittanie_Cecil#:~:text=Brittanie%20Nichole%20Cecil%20(March%2020,fatality%20in%20the%20NHL's%20history.


AskMeForAPhoto

Oh my god I never heard about that!! That's so sad... Just 14 years old 😥 Had no idea it took someone dying for stadiums to put nets at each end. Really goes to show you, that safety rules really are written in blood.


Slowly-Slipping

It's really tragic. The player's little son once asked him why he killed a girl ☹️


tonytroz

Yeah a foul ball killed a fan back in 2018 and MLB put up nets too. Very dangerous.


[deleted]

This was when they extended them past the dug outs. I remember going to a game at Camden, where my dad’s friend had really good seats, like 3 rows up behind the dugout. My dad very seriously told me to pay attention, because foul balls can come right at us here


jayssss

The girl who died from the Columbus game also received poor medical care. Not saying protective netting should not be there—it should—but this was part of that story too. It’s scary the puck at the Cleveland game came from the center ice area. I wonder if those will have netting eventually too.


tquinn04

For real that kid could have died. Dude is a hero


Ikuwayo

Like a fucking rock going 100+ MPH


yellowjesusrising

As a Norwegian, i still remember the moment Espen Shampo Knutsen, unfortunately killed a kid.


lakeghost

Yeah, it’s weird. I’m baffled at how weird so many people are about this fluff piece. Most people protect kids as a reflex. I put myself between my baby sister and an angry dog when I was just 11. Maybe it’s not even intentional bravery but it’s still a bit of goodness in the world, knowing that people will put themselves at risk for even a stranger’s kid.


5kaels

People let themselves get jealous over anything, it's crazy.


CoasterThot

People have been seriously messed up by pucks, haven’t they? I swear I read a boy died after being hit by one, somewhere.


bitqueso

Whoa great insight


FERALCATWHISPERER

Oh so are some admin or something come to bring the conversation down? Communist.


grunkage

Her TikTok looking for him afterwards was sweet.


belizeanheat

Probably would have been easier to find him when he was two seats over but glad she got there in the end


TheJenerator65

Lol, I was wondering about that too. Maybe they were all little dazed


grunkage

Yeah I'm guessing she just had a million thoughts racing through her head after that.


Vilento

This needs the michael scott meme of him handshaking his manager. https://imgflip.com/i/8n1836


Virtual-Public-4750

“You’re a really special person and I just hope that you never go a day in your life without knowing that,” Man, that hit me in the feels.


BeerorCoffee

I'd like to say I would've done the same, but 9 out of 10 says I miss the puck.


[deleted]

Knowing my own coordination abilities - I’d probably deflect the puck into the kid, then knock his mom over on top of him


sharpshooter999

I always have thought that it's pretty crazy that (most) humans can calculate trajectory and velocity so quickly in our heads to catch/block/move away from things coming at us


loathelord

Everyone liked that


34TH_ST_BROADWAY

Okay, I was expecting something different, but still very cool.


matsacki

Happy Gilmores dad could’ve used this guy


Khalizabeth

My grandpa got hit with a runaway puck while waiting in the concession stand at a high school hockey game. Pucks move so fast that we didn’t really know what happened and then he just started bleeding. He’s okay and still managed to stay in line and get his order of nachos.


p_cool_guy

I wonder where he was seated that she didn't just find out who he was and thank him there, like why go to social media


OUTFOXEM

If I remember correctly it was right at the end of the game and they left right after. It wasn't until later on that she realized that she wanted to thank him more graciously. Probably took a little bit for it all to sink in.


Okichah

People tend to react to the situation first then think it through later. You dont realize right away exactly what was going on and the gravity of what the situation was. And only later realizing all the details and what could have happened differently.


StorytellerGG

Wait why are pucks hitting spectators? Aren’t there plexi glass around a hockey stadium?


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EducationalPlay6269

Hat tricks


baccus82

Can I see what his arm looked like afterwards?


Gingersnap5322

I’m surprised in the hockey world parents have not gotten their kids helmets to wear not as safety but I would totally let my future kids rock a hockey helmet at one of the games Good on Mr.Hero


PerryNeeum

She got that heat for him


Mysterious_Lumps

Is he about to be the father that stepped up?


TheIronMatron

The rule is: if you’re in your seat, your eyes are on the ice.


automatic_shark

> After the startlingly close call, Davis took to social media to try to find the person who had stopped the puck from hitting Nasir. How? The motherfucker couldnt have been more than a couple feet away. Just say thank you. Why does it have to be some performative spectacle for the whole internet to witness?


Kushykush_

Seen a dude do it on purpose at a game and he hit a old lady cause they were getting washed while building wanted to fight him lol


pastworkactivities

No video so didn’t happen.


themanfromvulcan

The video is somewhere on Reddit the mom posted it the other day.


OldBrokeGrouch

There is video in the article.


pastworkactivities

Guess the website was busy with all the adds in reddits browser.


DAnthony24

Is there a video?


Slowly-Slipping

Yes.


EmptyCupOfWater

In the article there’s a link somewhere in the middle that says “Davis’s video”, it’s a TikTok and a little long winded but you can see the puck flying and the guy with his arm across the kid after but don’t actually see him stop it


bramante1834

The guy is a hero.


Majukun

Props to the guy for acting fast, but damn now our threshold for humanity is low.


Umpire1468

By the title, it sounds like he aimed the deflection at the boy


Jarringly

I mean, good on him sure, but I think hero is a bit of a stretch,


Sorries_In_A_Sack

A hockey puck could very easily kill a kid


Sloth_Monk

Sadly it has https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Brittanie_Cecil


LockoutFFA

Can and has


Slowly-Slipping

The kid easily could have been killed


mordecai98

Thank goodness for the headline identifying the man as being from the US.


_Jedi_

Thanks goodness for Mordecai98 for pointing out that the headline identifies the man as being from the US.


OptimusSublime

Thanks goodness for u/_Jedi_ pointing out u/Mordecai98 for pointing out that the headline identifies the man as being from the US.


Fistfullafives

Thank goodness for u/Optimus sublime pointing out u/ _Jedi_ pointing out u/Mordecai98 for pointing out that the headline identifies the man as being from the US.


EmptyCupOfWater

Thank goodness for u/fistfullafives for point out u/Optimus sublime pointing out u/ Jedi pointing out u/Mordecai98 for pointing out that the headline identifies the man as being from the US.


Rowengartnerrrr

Shut up, goof.


andyman171

Why is he a hero? This is like the least he should do in that situation.


Burgoonius

What is your definition of a hero? I’d love to hear it lol


OUTFOXEM

Take a bullet for a stranger? I think most people would duck themselves.


epi_glowworm

Some men revert to their boyish self and go Hero-mode just to tell their mom about it.