no, he was karate kicked in the neck by an idiot. people die playing basketball all the time because they jump in the air, some asshole takes out their knees and they smash the back of their head from 10 feet in the air on the hardwood. you just never hear about it because it isnt as visceral. in hockey you're essentially coated in armor. sure you're going to get hit and the puck is going fast, but most of the time you're just going to lose teeth. i have a friend who played in the ohl and his teammate took a hit, his testical slipped beneath the cup, the impact severed it, he went to the dressing room and got stitched up then was back on the ice, but that's one of the worst hockey injuries i've ever heard. in basketball, you take a jump shot and i want to end your career, you slip your foot in their landing zone and do the ol' bruce bowen/bill lambier/zaza. broken ankle if you're lucky, muscular tendonapathy if you're not, and in worst case scenario and you get bumped, spiral femur fracture.
Canada