In sport, we are commonly told of how athletes put their bodies on the line while competing in their desired sports, and in ice hockey, that is no exception.
The extent of how true that saying can be was exemplified in yesterday's NHL clash between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
Tampa Bay's goaltender Ben Bishop was critical in the Lightening's 7-3 victory over the home side, making 40 saves as his side won their fifth game of the season, but it came at a cost.
Toronto's Peter Holland hit Bishop with a wristshot with 6:40 left in the second period of the match, slicing through the legs of defenceman Andrej Sustr and smashing Bishop in the facemask.
The six-foot-seven goalie dropped his stick and fell to the ground clutching at his mask. After taking it off and looking inside, he found his two front teeth - both crowns - had been knocked out, with teammate Brian Boyle appearing to pick them up off the ice for Bishop.
