Malarchuk, ex-hockey star, shoots self in chin

An ex-National Hockey League goalie — best known for surviving a skate slice across his jugular during a game — accidentally shot himself in the chin Tuesday with a .22-caliber rifle at his Fish Springs residence.

Clint Malarchuk, 47, was taken to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno by helicopter for treatment.

Douglas County sheriff’s deputies were investigating the incident Wednesday to determine if the shooting was accidental.

According to reports, officers were dispatched to the Malarchuk’s home at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday after his wife reported her husband accidentally shot himself.

When deputies arrived, he was sitting on a bench next to a horse tack storage room, bleeding profusely from his chin and mouth.

Officers found a loaded .22 rifle on the ground approximately 30 feet from the victim.
Malarchuk’s wife said when she arrived home from work her husband was in the backyard, and said he had been shooting rabbits.

She said Malarchuk stood and placed the rifle butt on the ground between his legs and the rifle discharged, striking him in the chin.

When paramedics arrived, Malarchuk reportedly refused treatment, but eventually was taken to Carson Valley Medical Center in Gardnerville.

Officers were called back to the health center when staff requested assistance, saying Malarchuk was being uncooperative before he was transported to Reno by medical helicopter.

In October 2006, Malarchuk paid $250 restitution for a Douglas County deputy’s flashlight, which broke during an altercation with officers who were trying to restrain the suspect at a Gardnerville bar.

His sentencing was deferred until Jan. 16, 2009. If he doesn’t violate any laws, he may withdraw his guilty plea to disorderly conduct.

Malarchuk is best known for an on-ice accident during a March 22, 1989, National Hockey League game versus St. Louis when he was playing for Buffalo.

Malarchuk, playing goalie, was slashed in the neck by the Blues’ Steve Tuttle’s skate as Tuttle was upended in front of the Sabres goal.

The skate got caught under Malarchuk’s mask and above his protective collar, slashing his jugular vein.

Blood gushed rapidly from a 6-inch cut on the right side of his neck, spilling onto the ice as Malarchuk collapsed.

Sabres’ trainers stitched him up in the dressing room before sending him to the hospital.

Malarchuk is the goaltending coach for the National Hockey League Columbus Blue Jackets, and lives with his family in Fish Springs.