GENE'S BLOG: The Tooth Hurts

We all have things we're scared of, and I'm not sure if it's something we learn or something we're born with when we're confronted with that fear.
I've always been one, despite my job, to have a certain level of anxiety when it comes to flying. For me, those little bumps of turbulence often experienced on planes feel a lot more impactful than they do for the person sitting beside me. I immediately get an uncomfortable stomach and a bead of sweat on my brow awaiting the possibility of more movement than I would like at 30,000 feet.
Along the way, we learn about ourselves, and one thing I've always known I also have a fear of is going to the dentist. None of my dentists have ever done anything to warrant my feelings, but they also haven't been able to do anything to change them.
I don't know if Connor McDavid had a fear of dentists, but unfortunately for him, he didn't have a choice but to make an unexpected trip to see one at PNC Arena on Sunday.
It happened in the first period between Edmonton and Carolina. As McDavid was making his way up the ice, he was interfered with by two Canes -- first by the use of their bodies, and then by the use of one stick being held by defenceman Brady Skjei. In fact, Skjei not once but twice swung his stick in the direction of the Oilers captain. The first struck him in the body, and the second in the teeth. There was an immediate reaction of agony from McDavid as he put his hand to his mouth.

I would be lying through my teeth if I said there was intent by Skjei to do what he did, but swinging your stick in that manner and at that height is reckless and careless. It cost him four minutes, and it cost the Oilers captain his remaining minutes in the opening period.
Remember, Connor was the guy who broke his clavicle in his rookie year by hitting the end boards, but he still got up and skated to the bench. There was no doubt he was coming back, and there he was to start the second period sitting on the bench, maybe a little in shock with some blood on his mouth after hopping in the chair of Carolina's team dentist Don Bailey, who got to the root of the problem.
NHL teams do travel with a doctor, but not a dentist. It was explained by former Oiler and current Sportsnet analyst Luke Gazdic during Sunday's intermission how getting a puck or stick in the teeth is no fun at home, but even worse on the road. Gazdic went on to do a little episode of show and tell by giving us a glimpse of a missing tooth that he lost during his playing days.
In some ways, it appears as a badge of honour for a hockey player to be missing teeth. However, getting that badge can be painful, sore and not something any player or person really wants. The Oilers have both current and past members of the club with a few missing chiclets, as Connor himself has said Ryan McLeod has "the perfect hockey smile". It's hard not to miss, and you could say the same about current injured Oiler Zack Kassian, who also has a gap in his top teeth. It was the result of taking a skate in the mouth when he was a teenager.

Others who come to mind are Drake Caggiula, who was hit by a puck in that area, and Andrew Cogliano, who also battled against pucks and sticks but never let it stop his consecutive games played streak. Of course, who could forget Ryan Smyth taking a Chris Pronger clearing pass in the mouth? It knocked him out of the game, but only temporarily, as he came back to set up Shawn Horcoff in triple OT during the 2006 playoff series against San Jose.
Monday was a day of rest and recovery for the Oilers after back-to-back weekend games against two of the league's best teams. It was a chance for the captain to check out the dental work that was done on him and see what the full damage was from Sunday's errant stick to the mouth. Getting McDavid to say anything bad about anyone is like pulling teeth and that's a good thing.
As a young man, he's shown lots of wisdom and not just in his teeth.