A snow blower? Really? If that didn’t throw NHL betting fans for a loop, nothing can.

Where do we begin with you, Mr. Sakic? It was bad enough that you were doing yard work when you were already on injured reserve with a herniated disc; typically, backbreaking outdoor labor isn’t part of the rehab regimen. Secondly, you’re rich. Where was your maid? Or army of maids? Or army of specialized snow maids who ice fish and sleep outdoors?

Most of all, how on earth did Sakic manage to chop his hand to mush in a snow blower? Sure, accidents happen. Just ask this kid:

But why is it that athletes always seem to be the ones suffering bizarre injuries? Talk about a headache for sportsbooks. How can a handicapper predict that a star player will miss time due to a “snow blower accident”?

Online betting fans have seen plenty of these incidents before. Clint Barmes fell down a staircase carrying deer meat. Raise your hand if a buddy of yours has ever done that. Glenallen Hill famously fell through a table after waking up from a spider-themed nightmare. Punter Chris Hanson hacked open his leg after Jags coach Jack Del Rio put an axe and tree stump in the locker room as a symbol of “slow and steady work.” Former Toronto Maple Leaf Mikael Renberg almost died of an infection in his finger from tying his skates – just months after cutting his hand in a boat propeller accident.

These guys (well, not the baseball players) are supposed to be the pinnacle of fitness, yet they they’re more brittle than the Golden Girls. Go figure. Perhaps the best injury of all: Joel Zumaya injured his throwing arm playing too much Guitar Hero. How many crazed Guitar Hero fans, who play all hours of the night, have suffered that injury? None that I know of.

Burnaby Joe, your herniated disc alone did enough damage to Colorado Avalanche odds. So maybe you and your brittle athlete buddies should stick to your respective sports and leave the heavily lifting to us Average Joes.