NBCSN
Sacrificing your body to block a shot is a one of those moments in hockey that makes the old-school TV announcers salivate and gush about selflessness and What Hockey Is All About.
When Daniel Winnik of the Washington Capitals did just that on Thursday night in a game against the Florida Panthers, the reaction from the announcers was decidedly different. That's because Winnik took the shot straight off his ear, which resulted in him losing a chunk of his ear.
The video below (courtesy of SB Nation) is not graphic, per se, but does feature a puck off the ear. Watch at your own accord:
According to Capitals beat writer Isabelle Khurshudyan, both Winnik and Caps' coach Barry Trotz were relatively unfazed about the whole thing:
Barry Trotz said Daniel Winnik lost a little piece of his ear when the puck hit him in the head. Seriously.
- Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) October 21, 2016
Listening to tape of Trotz talking about this, and he was so nonchalant. "He was just fine, just missing a piece of his ear."
- Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) October 21, 2016
Trotz: "It's just a small piece, but it got chewed up."
- Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) October 21, 2016Winnik stayed down for a moment, and then skated off to the locker room. A few minutes later, he returned to the ice - not even missing a shift.
Hockey players, man.