Have the NHL playoffs displayed how tough hockey players really are? Analyzing the physical side of the game

By Sam Nestler

Modified Apr 22, 2023 06:26 GMT

Toughness is synonymous with hockey. It has been since day one. Whether it is toothless smiles, blood all over the ice, or fighting through an injury, hockey players are built differently.

Nashville Predators v Washington Capitals

In the first three days of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, we have already seen two significant instances of hockey toughness.

Winnipeg Jets forward Morgan Barron took an incidental skate to the face during a scramble in front of the net. The incident took place in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Barron went straight to the locker room covered in blood. Instead of leaving the game, he received 70 stitches to the face and returned to action with a cage protecting his face.

In Game 2 last night, Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck absorbed a heavy slapshot to the mask from Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel. The mask did not break or fall off, but the puck clearly made contact with Hellebuyck's face. It caused him to bleed just below his left eye. Hellebuyck skated to the bench, got bandaged up, and returned to his net, as hockey players do.

Here are a few of my favorite examples of hockey players gutting it out:

• Stars forward Roope Hintz recorded over a point per game during the 2020-21 regular season while playing with a partially torn groin.
• Bruins forward Greg Campbell finishing his shift in the 2013 Eastern Conference Final after breaking his right leg on a blocked shot.
• Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara returning to the bench with a full mask after breaking his jaw in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final - Game Seven

• Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith playing through a meniscus tear to win the 2015 Stanley Cup.
• Canucks Trevor Linden playing through cracked ribs and torn cartilage to nearly deliver a Stanley Cup to the Vancouver Canucks in 1994.
• Stars forward Rich Peverly asked if he could go back in the game after his heart stopped for several minutes and he was brought back to life with an AED.

The beautiful thing about this toughness is that it has been ingrained in hockey players since they were children. These kids look up to these players as role models. In subzero temperatures, they skate on frozen lakes or ponds until it is too dark to see. They get up at 4 a.m. to practice because it's their only chance of getting ice time at the rink.

On top of that, former players become coaches. These coaches guide youth programs and instill their mindset in future superstars.

You can get tougher, you can develop a team mindset, and you can work on your skillset until you are one of the best players in the world. But when it comes down to it: hockey players are born to be hockey players.