Tanev played through torn labrum and separated shoulder for Flames in playoffs

May 27 2022, 10:28 pm

Warrior.

Ask anyone to describe Chris Tanev as a hockey player and there’s a good chance that’s the word they’ll use.

The 32-year-old Calgary Flames defenceman has earned that reputation for his courageous play on the ice. He never hesitates to sacrifice his body by blocking a shot or taking a hit to make a play.

He’s also willing to play through an extreme amount of pain.

Injured in Game 6 of the Dallas series, Tanev didn’t return to the lineup until Game 4 in the second round against the Edmonton Oilers.

Officially out with an “upper-body injury,” Tanev appeared to be playing with only one good arm.

Injuries are close-held secrets during the playoffs, so we had to wait until the Flames were eliminated on Thursday to find out what he was really dealing with.

According to a report from Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK, Tanev played with a torn labrum, a separated shoulder, and a sprained neck.

That hurts just reading it.

Despite those injuries, Tanev was a huge help for a leaky Flames defence. He played 19:24, including 2:03 while shorthanded in Game 4, and 22:08 in Game 5. Tanev was on for just one shorthanded goal-against during that time, and three goals-for at even strength. He even collected an assist on Mikael Backlund’s goal in Game 4.

He did all this while playing significant minutes against Connor McDavid at five-on-five — 5:48 in Game 4 and 8:04 in Game 5.

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