Zednik issued this statement from the hospital in Buffalo today:

"I want to thank everyone for their tremendous support this week. All of the fans, my teammates, the Panthers and Sabres organizations and the people of Buffalo have been great. I especially want to thank the nursing and medical staff at Buffalo General Hospital – they have been by my side every step of the way. Jessica and I thank everyone for respecting our privacy and we both look forward to returning to Florida soon."

Thank the good lord for the medical staff at the Sabres' rink.

Are neck protectors necessary? (Yes I am late commenting on this). To me, the answer is no. It has to come down to a personal choice of the players, much like visors. These guys sign up for the job knowing full-well of the dangers involved. They are adults who make adult decisions. As gory as the Zednik incident was, I'm not buying into the media sensationalism of it and knee-jerking an opinion on a new rule in safety.
Someday, these guys may be dressed up in full medieval gear to protect every inch of their body, but hopefully that will be the choice of the player, not a rule handed down from the powers that be. Let it go, people. Yeah, Aaron Ward got a stick in the neck from Gonchar and the knee-jerking continues. Edler got a puck in the neck last night and out jerks the knee. Fuck it. It's a part of the risk of the sport that is hockey.
Having said that, some people may want more protection for their necks regardless. So what can be done to accomodate that? High collars coming off the shoulder gear?
Just remember, extra protection can be a double-edged sword. The higher the protection, the more people take new liberties and be more careless with their sticks.

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