Chris Tanev is a warrior.
The lanky blueliner plays all the tough minutes against the other team’s best players, and has been the bestĀ Canucks defenceman for a few years now.
But man has he been hurt a lot.
Whether it be bad luck or a product of the rugged style he plays, Tanev is routinely on the shelf with injury. Too bad, because he’s one of their most reliable players when he’s in the lineup.
Tanev’s latest injury though, may be his most gruesome one.
The 28-year-old took a Morgan Rielly point shot in the mouth on Saturday, causing him to lose blood – and some teeth.
Here’s the video:
Michael Del Zotto grabs Christopher Tanev's teeth after the defenceman was hit by a puck #friends pic.twitter.com/7GBELbA3f2
— HockeyNightInCanada (@hockeynight) January 7, 2018
Michael Del Zotto had to go searching for chiclets because of it.
Del Zotto picking up Tanev's teeth off the ice.#Canucks pic.twitter.com/5DSuarHnyO
— Ryan Biech (@ryanbiech) January 7, 2018
If that doesn’t make your stomach queasy, I don’t know what will.
#Canucks reactions to watching them pick Chris Tanev's teeth up off the ice…
Yeesh pic.twitter.com/KKKvkgihJY
— PUCKS ON NET (@Pucksonnetca) January 7, 2018
And it gets worse.
not only did Tanev get teeth knocked out last night, some that remained in his mouth were embedded in his tongue. #canucks
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) January 7, 2018
EWWWW…
While losing teeth makes my stomach turn, that wasn’t the biggest injury concern. Hockey players are tough, and losing a few pearly whites alone wouldn’t necessarily keep him out of the game. Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy reports that Tanev rode a stationary bike in full gear during the first intermission, staying warm just in case he got medical clearance to return to the game.
No Tanev for #canucks tonight. Nothing broken but will need surgery on gums. Hopes to play in WSH, CBJ + MIN then have surgery in bye week.
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) January 7, 2018
Luckily for Tanev, he didn’t suffer a broken jaw or a concussion. He’s with the team in Montreal, but won’t play in Sunday’s game given just how much damage there is to his mouth.
He was eating yogurt for lunch.