NHL players might just be the toughest athletes on the face of the earth. If you need an example, look no further than Winnipeg Jets’ center Morgan Barron.
Barron took a brutal skate to the face (is there such a thing as a non-brutal skate to the face?) during Game 1 between the Jets and Vegas Golden Knights. The injury occurred while Winnipeg attempted to force the puck into Vegas’ net.
The center’s injury required 75 stitches – a pretty gruesome injury even for hockey. The wild part? Barron returned to the game. Absolutely insane.
Some of us struggle to get off the couch after stubbing our toe on the coffee table. Can you imagine returning to a game after taking a blade to the face?
Below is an image of the scar Barron took into Game 2 … and will have for the remainder of the playoffs. That certainly doesn’t look fun.
The Jets defeated the Knights 5-1 in the first game of the playoff series. So, while Barron sustained a brutal injury to open the series, at least his team got the win.
Vegas notched a victory in Game 2, tying the series at 1-1. The two teams meet on the ice for Game 3 on Saturday with the puck dropping at 4 p.m. ET.
Morgan Barron Addresses Gruesome Injury in Game 1
When you take a skate to the face — and require 75 stitches and still return to the game — people are going to want to talk about it. After Game 1, reporters asked Barron about the injury.
“I was trying to figure out if the puck went in because it was pretty close,” Barron said after the game. “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.”
One of Barron’s teammates, Adam Lowry, had a pretty straightforward description of the injury, saying, “Looks like he got attacked by a shark.”
Yeah, that’s pretty accurate.
During the 2022-23 regular season, Barron accounted for 21 points for the Jets. He scored eight goals and tallied 13 assists. In the series against Vegas, the Winnipeg center averages just over 10 minutes on the ice and has attempted six total shots through two games.
But we’re not here to judge his statistics during the postseason. The fact that he’s on the ice at all is a pretty remarkable accomplishment.
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