Gumshot Wound: Brent Burns' Career in Jeopardy after Taking Puck to Toothless Maw

Brent Burns wasn't in the San Jose Sharks line-up Monday against Detroit due to the ill-effects of a puck to the mouth against Calgary.

His long-since-departed teeth aren't the issue. Worryingly, it's his gums.

"He got hit ... the other night, and [his mouth stanchions] are bothering him right now,” Sharks' coach Todd McLellan revealed whilst wiping his own dentures on his tie.

“He’ll be out tonight, and hopefully he’s ready to go when we get to Boston.”

McLellan's optimism is laudable, but the truth is Burns' Thursday return to the ice is not a given; like hamstrings and groins, gum wounds are notoriously fickle. They can take weeks, even months, for full recovery. One stray chicken bone, one serrated corn chip, and rehab goes back to square one.

Indeed, Bobby Clarke's illustrious career was almost cut short by chronic gum contusions.

The Daily Player's own dental expert (accredited in Mexico) weighed in on the issue late this afternoon:

"An athlete with a gum malady may sound like a doddle compared to a grade three concussion or a skate cut to the jugular, But make no mistake, it's a harrowing ordeal."

"If I were that young man, I wouldn't take any chances. I would be getting Patrice Bergeron to massage those suckers every hour, on the hour." 

Although Burns' playing future may be in question, his courage in fighting for his NHL life further cements hockey alongside golf and tennis as the world's toughest sports.