How tough are hockey players? After taking a stick to the mush in the first period, Eric Belanger ripped his own tooth out on the bench and then proceeded to take the next face-off. That’s insane. The AP furthers the legend:
Belanger says Saturday he “felt my teeth shatter, right away,” when Canadiens defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron’s stick hit him in the mouth in the first period of Montreal’s 2-1 victory at Washington in Game 5 of their playoff series Friday night.
Belanger needed some serious dental work at the arena, getting exposed tooth roots trimmed — then returned to the ice midway through the third period.
Explains Belanger: “I knew I was in trouble, but what are you going to do? It’s the playoffs.”
He expects to play in Game 6 at Montreal on Monday.
In summary, Belanger lost 7 or 8 teeth, including the one he ripped out himself.
Here’s the video:
