Video Replay Shows Auston Matthews Coming Within Inches of Life-Threatening Injury

When the late Adam Johnson was tragically struck in the neck by a skate blade and lost his life during a game in Europe back on October 28th, 2023, there was an immediate push to make neck guards mandatory across several leagues and in multiple levels of hockey -- including the professional level.

Last night, with the Maple Leafs in Anaheim to take on the Ducks, we almost received a terrifying reminder that neck protection is vitally important.

During the latter stages of the Leafs' 3-2 win over the Ducks, Auston Matthews was attempting to regain possession of the puck from Anaheim's Cutter Gauthier, when Gauthier's skate came up and came to within inches of cutting Matthews' neck and/or face.

Thankfully, Gauthier's blade did not make contact with Matthews, who reacted just a touch too late to have avoided that accidental potential contact.

Matthews has missed a lot of time this season due to an unspecified upper-body injury, but has appeared much more comfortable of late. The Leafs captain has really turned his season around, which couldn't have come at a better time with the playoffs just around the corner.