EX-NHLer Tony Hrkac Saves League Employee Who Was Choking On A Hunk Of Pretzel

Former NHL player Tony Hrkac sprang into action and saved a league employee's life at a recent game in Los Angeles.

Hrkac — a name that ironically looks like the sounds someone makes when they're choking — was a journeyman center in the NHL who played over 750 games in the league from 1986-87 to 2002-03. Hrkac had stops in St. Louis, Quebec, San Jose, Chicago, Edmonton, New York (Islanders), Anaheim, and Atlanta. He was also a member of the 1999 Stanley Cup-winning Dallas Stars.

He continued his pro hockey career for several years after that in the American Hockey League.

Now 57, Hrkac is a scout for the Tampa Bay Lightning. According to TMZ Sports, he was in Los Angeles on Jan. 4 to watch the Kings take on the Detroit Red Wings.

A source told the outlet that the victim — an NHL employee who preferred to remain anonymous — started choking on a piece of pretzel in the Crypto.com Arena press box.

This is why you've got to make sure you chew those pretzels thoroughly, kids. Soft pretzels are dry and, well, soft, and I could totally see how you could choke on one. That's why mustard is key. Not just for flavor but also as a lubricant.

Fortunately for this person, Hrkac was nearby. He performed the Heimlich maneuver which thankfully cleared the person's airway of the potentially lethal piece of pretzel. Once that hunk of dough was out of the way, the person started breathing normally again.

That's a hell of a job from Hrkac. It's also a good reminder of why knowing how to properly perform the Heimlich is more than a neat little party trick to have in your back pocket.

It's a simple skill that, as we see here, can save someone's life.

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