Calgary Flames star defenseman Chris Tanev sacrificed his own face for one of the most painful shot blocks you’ll ever see.
During Monday night’s home game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Tanev dove to get in front of a William Karlsson wrist shot. Karlsson’s hard shot hit Tanev square in the face, causing some bleeding on the ice:
Thankfully, Tanev avoided a serious injury and is even expected to be in the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars.
And for those worried about Tanev? Not to worry, because the humorous and always-humble 33-year-old Tanev had your typical NHL player response to the injury, per Sportsnet’s Eric Francis.
“I don’t mind if the snaggletooth gets gone,” Tanev said. “I wouldn’t mind that at all.”
Per Francis, Tanev’s injury required 12 stitches. Asked about how many stitches he’s had in his career, the fan favorite said there were “too many” to count.
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Calgary went on to defeat Vegas 2-1 in overtime to improve to 9-10-3 on the year. It was a statement win for a red-hot Calgary team that finds itself back in the playoff picture following a miserable 2-7-1 start.
Tanev is in his fourth season with the Flames, having come over in 2020 free agency after the Vancouver Canucks curiously let their star defenseman walk. Tanev has been a mainstay on the Calgary blue line, continuing to flourish as one of the NHL’s shutdown blueliners.
Tanev has five assists in 22 games for the Flames this season.
