Scary Scene During Kings and Lightning Game As Joel Edmundson Lands Awkwardly On His Neck

Hockey is as much a dangerous game as it is an exciting one. With the blazing speed and big hits there's something players always need to worry about which is the potential for injury. Countless times we've seen some very serious close calls, and it makes the excitement grind to a standstill.

One such incident occurred during the Los Angeles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning game on Saturday night, as defenseman Joel Edmundson of the Kings collided with Tampa's Zemgus Girgensons and ended up taking a nasty landing.

From the video you can see that Edmundson not only crunched his neck when he was essentially folded in half, but upon striking the ice his head smashed hard against it, causing serious concerns for a concussion or worse.

Thankfully for Girgensons, Los Angeles and everyone else involved, Edmundson was no worse for wear and returned to the bench a few minutes after being checked out.

It's not only a testament to his willpower and determination, but just how strong you need to be to not only perform at the NHL level but be able to potentially withstand serious harm.

Unfortunately for some though, injuries come a bit more nightmarish. Case in point both Richard Zednik and Clint Malarchuk's grotesque injuries due to a skate blade cut, where serious harm or death could have occurred if not for the quick thinking of medical staff.

Anaheim Ducks forward Paul Kariya found himself knocked out on the ice after New Jersey Devils defenseman Scott Stevens laid in a colossal but legal hit, leading to after effects down the line.

Hopefully there is no ill will between Edmundson and Girgensons, and both men can come to the agreement that it was a freak accident and there was no harm meant.

This season, Edmundson has four goals and six assists in 35 games for the Kings.

Girgensons is having a quiet season with only two assists in 35 games for Tampa Bay.

Accidents happen in hockey and thankfully this one turned out to be a happy ending to a potentially awful turn of events.