Spittin’ chiclets.
Literally.
James Neal needs a trip to the dentist after taking an Alex Biega high-stick to the face in the third period of the Vancouver Canucks’ 4-3 shootout win against the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
See also
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- Canucks prospect Madden following Gaudette's footsteps at Northeastern
- Flames' Lindholm mocks Hurricanes victory celebration in Carolina return
Neal’s teeth exploded out of his mouth, visible for fans to see on the television broadcast.
James Neal needs new teeth, again pic.twitter.com/S9NdnTba0B
— Mike Pfeil (@mikeFAIL) February 10, 2019
James Neal gets some chicklets swatted out of his mouth š· #Flames pic.twitter.com/RRlIHPSZ0V
— Vanessa Jang (@vanessajang) February 10, 2019
Those white things flying around are James Nealās teeth falling out of his mouth…. #Flames pic.twitter.com/6GRGt8uSed
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) February 10, 2019
Searching for teeth is hard on white ice. Refs find a couple, pick 'em up. pic.twitter.com/CtG31qm954
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) February 10, 2019
i hope james neal is having an amazing night despite getting high sticked and losing some teeth pic.twitter.com/zUSVrH1YxD
— kylie š¦āØ (@kylie1313x) February 10, 2019
We canāt find our friend on the far right. Has anyone seen him? Must be terrified š#returnjamesnealsteeth #nhl #calgaryflames #vancouvercanucks #Canucks #Flames #jamesneal pic.twitter.com/qdRWI7nt6q
— James Nealās Teeth (@NealTeeth) February 10, 2019
#CGYvsVAN Omg those are the real deal James Neal Teeth @jneal_18 #ouch #nhl #calgaryflames yes time for more dental š¦· work #goflamesgo #š„ pic.twitter.com/j4JlRyFTHa
— Bart Arrowsmith (@BartArrowsmith) February 10, 2019
Biega received a double minor for high sticking, while officials and players picked up the debris.Ā Because he’s a hockey player, Neal returned to the ice less than two minutes later.
āThatās why there are dentists, right,ā Flames head coach Bill Peters told reporters after the game. āI think for every tooth he lost, they got a minor.ā
This isn’t the first time Neal has lost his teeth during a hockey game. The big forward also had them knocked out last season when he was with the Vegas Golden Knights, so the ones that went flying in Vancouver were fakes.
James Neal teeth update. pic.twitter.com/DPY8DkXSQD
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) October 28, 2017
Doesn’t mean it wasn’t painful though.
Some players, like Drew Doughty and Brent Burns, elect to rock a toothless smile, while others like Neal get them fixed.
Here’s the full video: