Ex-hockey player pleads guilty to drunk driving

Ex-National Hockey League goalie Clint Malarchuk was sentenced Wednesday to two days in Douglas County Jail and fined $897 after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit.

"I know I did wrong," Malarchuk told East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl. "I appreciate the consequences, and I am prepared to pay for what I did. I am trying to get on with my life with counseling. I am sorry to the people that I broke the law."

Malarchuk, 48, was arrested Jan. 23 when a deputy on Toler at Stodick Park observed a pickup truck cross the double-yellow line for about 100 feet before it swerved back. The vehicle crossed the yellow line a second time at Orchard Road.

Malarchuk's blood-alcohol content was .286, more than three times the legal limit of .08.

Malarchuk's attorney, William Cole, asked that his client be allowed to serve 10 days of house arrest in lieu of jail because he is claustrophobic. House arrest costs $175.

Cole said Malarchuk suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from a near-fatal injury more than 20 years ago.

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

Malarchuk, playing goal, was slashed in the neck by the Blues' Steve Tuttle's skate. 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 before a horrified crowd.

Malarchuk, who lives in Fish Springs, was a goaltending coach for the National Hockey League Columbus Blue Jackets until last summer.

"I'm doing good now," Malarchuk told EnEarl Wednesday. "I'm seeing a certified drug and alcohol counselor and going to AA meetings."

He said he hadn't had a drink since his arrest and wasn't driving.

Malarchuk works as an equine dentist, but told EnEarl his wife drove him to appointments.

In exchange for his guilty plea, charges of failure to maintain a lane and open container were dismissed.

EnEarl sentenced Malarchuk to 92 days, with 90 days suspended for one year. He must abstain from drugs and alcohol during probation and is subject to random search and seizure and testing.

"They will test you," EnEarl said. "If you come to the door with a beer in your hand, you're going to jail. You've got some issues with alcohol and you need to get them fixed. With a .28, you're going to hurt somebody."

In October 2007, Malarchuk was charged with disorderly conduct after an altercation with Douglas County deputies at a Gardnerville bar. The charge was dismissed a year ago after he paid $250 restitution and violated no laws for one year. He was allowed to withdraw his guilty plea.

In October 2008, Malarchuk accidentally shot himself in the chin with a .22-caliber rifle. He was taken by helicopter to Renown Regional Medical Center for treatment.