Predators Forward Gustav Nyquist Plucks Some Of His Teeth Off The Ice After Getting Hit With A High Stick

Getty Image

Hockey players face plenty of danger whenever they step onto the ice, and there’s only so much they can do to avoid falling victim to some gnarly injuries due to the fairly brutal nature of the sport—as evidenced by the play that forced Gustav Nyquist to pick a few of his teeth off of the ice during a game on Thursday night.

Mouthguards are just one of the many protective measures NHL players employ during games, and while those thin pieces of rubber can come in handy, there’s only so much they can do to mitigate the effect of getting drilled in the face by a deflected puck or rogue stick.

The hockey world is filled with guys who’ve lost a tooth (or teeth) over the course of their career, and Nyquist became the latest person to spit some chiclets thanks to what transpired when the Nashville Predators headed to Seattle to face off against the Kraken.

The Kraken had some trouble staying out of the penalty box in the first period, as Eeli Tolvanen was called for a trip around a minute after the puck dropped before the Predators were granted a brief 5-on-3 opportunity after Adam Larsson got a double minor for high sticking at the expense of Nyquist.

He certainly earned every second of that four-minute penalty based on what transpired after the whistle blew, as the Predators winger spent a solid 15 seconds plucking the teeth that were dislodged off of the playing surface (based on the video, it appears he lost a minimum of three).

Nyquist headed to the locker room to get treated but quickly returned to the game while sporting a blood-stained jersey. If there are any doubts he’s a consummate Hockey Guy, he recorded close to 15 minutes of ice time in Nashville’s 4-2 loss.