In the history of sporting injuries there can be few more gruesome than the facial cut suffered by Sebastian Courcelles, captain of minor-league hockey team, Thetford Mines Isothermic, in Quebec.
The gash that opened up the left side of Courcelles' face after being sliced by an opponent's skates was so graphic that teammate Bobby Baril almost fainted on sight.
The accident occurred during a Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH) game against Trois Vikings when Courcelles was hit by Jean-Michel Bolduc and fell to the ice, with his face landing on Bolduc's skates.
Fortunately, Sebastian's brother Simon was on hand as a first responder and acted immediately.
'He shouted to put pressure on my cheek,' Courcelles told Le Journal de Quebec. 'He then said to call the ambulance... at that time, I told myself that it must not be pretty.'
Even after being treated in hospital and having the wound stitched up, Courcelles' appearance wouldn't be out of place in a zombie addled horror film
Courcelles admits being horrified after seeing his reflection in the window for the first time following the four-hour operation - and still has difficulty moving his face after damaging a nerve.
But, incredibly, the determined captain aims to be back on the rink within a week - the only reason he didn't return to work after the weekend game was because his wife stopped him.
'My goal is to play on Friday with a full face shield,' he said.
Source.