The injury that Erik Karlsson suffered on Wednesday night was horrific.  It is the type of injury that has scared me for sometime now.  It is actually surprising that this type of injury is not more frequent.  Sharp blades on slippery ice, body checks, scrums in front of the net, it is amazing that more injuries do not happen like this one.  The first question asked when something like this happens is “doesn’t he have a pad there to protect him”?  Well the answer is no.  A hockey player has a great deal of equipment to protect themselves, but things happen and you just cannot protect every part of your body.  There is one piece of equipment that is available to help prevent this injury.  It is socks that are made out of Kevlar.  These are not totally cut proof, but the Kevlar resists and minimizes cuts.  This sounds great, but many players are not using these products. Players resist change.  Often they will not want to try new equipment, but recent testimonials about these Kevlar socks have shown that they are comfortable, and do not inhibit performance.  These are the two arguments players usually have with trying new equipment.  One company that offers this product is Hogans Hockey.  This may not have completely prevented this, but according to Hogans Hockey testimonials this injury could have been prevented or reduced the severity significantly.  I hate to see injuries such as this, and although it was completely unintentional, Karlsson is out for the rest of the season.  It is time to take precautions and where all the equipment we can to prevent as many injuries as possible.