Whether its getting hit in the face with deflected shots from the point, errant high sticks or blindsided by a high hit, hockey players are under almost constant danger of breaking something. This list outlines some of the worst recorded broken jaws in the last 20 years and the NHL players who broke them. Some of these guys (like in the case of Jeremy Roenick) even go on to try and finish the game after suffering an injury that puts most people out for over a month.

7. 2013-14 Alex Burrows takes a puck to the face against Carolina

This was mostly just bad luck during a bad season for Burrows. He would come back to get 33 points the next year, but the recovery for Burrows after this was long and grinding. He would end up missing a month of action while recovering from his broken jaw.

6. 2009-10 Teemu Selanne takes a slapshot from the point to the face while playing for Aneheim

This is one that makes me cringe every time I see it. A bad deflection in the worst spot. This is every player’s worst nightmare when standing in front of the net.

5. 2013-14 Zach Kassian high sticks Sam Gagner, breaking his jaw

Probably one of the more egregious on our list, Zach Kassian just shows no regard for controlling his stick and Gagner pays the price. It doesn’t matter if it was an accident or not, you need to be in control of your stick the entire time that you’re on the ice.

4. 2013-14 Sidney Crosby takes a Brooks Orpik slapshot to the face which breaks his jaw

Another one in the “super unfortunate accident” category. A Brooks Orpik slapshot that deflects and catches an unaware Crosby square in the teeth.. This had to hurt. After all was said and done, Crosby lost 10 teeth and and had to have reconstructive surgery on his jaw. He would end up missing a month and wearing a protective face shield for 2 months after.

3. 2010-11 Tom Kostopoulos breaks Brad Stuart’s jaw with a dirty hit

A late hit to an unaware Stuart broke his jaw shortly after New Year’s in the 2010-11 NHL season. This one was particularly bad for the fact that the puck was nowhere near Stuart, and was not expecting a full speed shoulder to the face like that. Kostopoulos had so much time to turn or slow down after Stuart passed the puck, but instead chose to hit him a full second or two after the puck left his stick.

2. 1998-99 Derian Hatcher breaks Jeremy Roenick’s Jaw In 4 Places

After a brutal hit by Phoenix defenceman Derian Hatcher which completely shattered Jeremy Roenick’s jaw, Roenick can be seen on camera wiggling the broken pieces of his mouth around to check on the damage. He would try to come back and play 2 more shifts that game to “throw it back in their faces” as he would later say. Roenick ended up being out for 6 playoff games over the span of 20 days.

1. 2017-18 Tom Wilson breaks Zach Aston-Reese’s jaw with a high hit to the head

Admittedly, Aston-Reese does put himself in a vulnerable position, but there’s no arguing that the main point of contact was with his head. Definitely a bad hit, but one that I feel could have been avoided with a bit more awareness on Zach Aston-Reese’s part. Washington would go on to eliminate Pittsburgh in the series and eventually win the Stanley Cup that year. Tom Wilson would be suspended for the remainder of the series (3 games) and Zach Aston-Reese would make a full recovery in time for the following season.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

