PITTSBURGH — Look around any NHL locker room and you're bound to see a few gap-toothed smiles. Even with mouth guards, the risk of losing a few teeth is just a part of being a hockey player.
Before the NHL season went on pause, I went around the Penguins’ locker room and asked players how they lost their teeth.
Sam Lafferty, with two missing front teeth, has the biggest gap in his smile in the locker room.
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I lost them last year against Springfield," Lafferty said. "I took a high stick and they both came clean out."
Players will often wear something called a "flipper," which looks like a retainer with a fake tooth attached to fill in the gap. Lafferty says he wears his flipper whenever he's in public and plans on getting permanent replacements this summer, which should make his mom pretty happy.
“The person who was definitely the most upset when I lost them was my mother,” Lafferty laughed. “She spent all the money on braces, she’ll be happy when I get those fixed.”
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