MINDEN, Nev. —  A former NHL goalie is recovering after his wife said he accidentally shot himself in the chin with a rifle at his Douglas County home.

47-year-old Clint Malarchuk of Fish Springs was flown by helicopter to a Reno hospital for treatment Tuesday.

His wife told sheriff's deputies that Malarchuk placed the rifle butt on the ground between his legs after he had been shooting rabbits and the rifle discharged, striking him in the chin.

Malarchuk, whose condition was not available, is the goaltending coach for the NHL's Columbia Blue Jackets.

He's best known for having his jugular vein slashed by an opposing player's skate during a 1989 game when he played for the Buffalo Sabres.

In October 2006, Malarchuk paid $250 in restitution for a deputy's flashlight that broke during an altercation at a Gardnerville bar.