Watch: NHL Player Takes Goalie's Skate to Face, Quickly Returns After Receiving Over 75 Stitches
NHL forward Morgan Barron of the Winnipeg Jets took a skate to the face in the first period of their Game 1 showdown with the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
Barron needed over 75 stitches directly next to his right eye, but after receiving the blow in the first period and heading to the locker room for stitches, he was sitting on the bench at the beginning of period two waiting for his chance to play.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic images that some viewers may find disturbing.
Per ESPN, Winnipeg Jets’ Morgan Barron returns after taking skate to face, getting 75-plus stitches #hockeytoughguy #tough #guy #hockey #thisishockey #stitch #nhl #NHLPlayoffs #nhlplayoffs2023 #JayVonne #RICHIEEE #WesMcCauley #vegas #vegasgoldenknights #morganbarron pic.twitter.com/TDxOOsmZsj
— Hockey Inc (@hky_Inc) April 19, 2023
Barron’s Jets took the victory 5-1 over the Knights, but the gash on his face almost cost the team one of their forwards.
“I was trying to figure out if the puck went in because it was pretty close,” Barron said, The Guardian reported. “I saw the skate coming. It was an unlucky play. The first thought was that I could see out of the [right] eye was the main thing.”
On the play, Barron was one of several players sprawled across the goal mouth as the puck hovered close to the line, but Vegas goalie Laurent Brossoit dove for the puck. In so doing, his skate came down right across Barron’s face.
It could have been a lot worse. If the goalie’s skate would have landed an inch to the left, the discussion around this story would have been a lot different and could have included a career ending injury.
“Looks like he got attacked by a shark,” Jets center Adam Lowry said. “It’s a scary thing. We’re all so worried about the puck crossing the line, and all of the sudden we see a trail of blood all the way from the crease to the bench.”
As it turns out, Barron was back on the ice just minutes later.
“I think more his presence coming back because we all realized how bad it was, and that gave everyone a big boost,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said, according to Fox News.
When he returned, Barron was wearing a full cage on his head — rather than the normal clear visor most players wear on the ice. He will likely have to wear the same helmet moving forward to keep his stitches in place.
Morgan Barron reportedly received 75 stitches after an inadvertent skate to the face.
He’s still playing.
What a warrior 😧 pic.twitter.com/lc8KRbkHvU
— x – Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 19, 2023
TSN reported, Bowness gave Barron the day off on Wednesday, but he is expected to play in Game 2 on Thursday.
Around the world, hockey is known as a sport set aside for the toughest of the tough, and the NHL is the top hockey league in the world. Coming back from a cut like this one, however, is a different level of toughness.
Teammate Brenden Dillon joked that “his modeling days, I think, are over,” but everyone, opponents and teammates alike, is just happy to see Barron on the ice again so quickly.
Barron scored 8 goals and had 13 assists during the 2023-2023 regular season and is a valuable role player for the Winnipeg Jets.
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