"I got a stick in the mouth" - When Wayne Gretzky revealed how he lost his front teeth in an accident

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Dec 06, 2024 12:29 GMT

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Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once recounted the story of how he lost a few front teeth in an unfortunate accident growing up.

The Canadian Hall of Famer appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien in 1998 and discussed a host of topics, including hockey injuries, fake teeth, and his children's talents.

"When I was 10 years old, I had braces on. My parents didn't make a lot of money and it cost a lot of money to get braces. I got them off. 2 weeks later, I got a stick in the mouth and lost five teeth. To this day, they are caps."

Gretzky added that he had never sustained such an accident after turning professional.

Wayne Gretzky was once left bleeding after being hit by stray puck

The four-time Stanley Cup winner may have avoided losing his pearly whites on the ice, but he was once left bloodied after being hit by a puck struck by teammate Steve Duchesne in a game against the Edmonton Oilers in 1991.

With blood streaming down the side of his face, Gretzky was forced to head to the locker room. According to the LA Times, he needed 25 stitches to treat the cut on his left ear.

Gretzky reportedly suffered from dizziness and headaches and did not return to the game.

However, he took the incident in his stride, joking about it after the game.

“That’s the first blocked shot I’ve had in 13 years,” he said. “But as long as I can hear, I don’t care what it (the ear) looks like.”