Stars' Chris Tanev Has Tooth Pulled Mid-Game, Then Returns To Ice

Hockey players are just built differently. And Chris Tanev proved that, once again, on Wednesday night.

Early in the Game 5 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the Dallas Stars defenseman took a hit from Nathan MacKinnon and immediately skated off the ice. Soon after, he disappeared into the Stars’ tunnel — although no one knew the exact reason until after the game.

According to Stars coach Pete DeBoer, Tanev was forced to undergo some impromptu dental work. He quickly had a tooth pulled before returning to the Stars' bench and eventually back to the ice.

"From what I understood, it got pushed in," DeBoer said postgame. "They had to pull it in order for him to come back. He didn’t miss much, though."

Tanev entered the game already banged up after taking a big hit into the boards on Monday night. He wasn't able to practice in between games. But the 34-year-old, who the Stars acquired from the Calgary Flames at this season's trade deadline in February, is a trooper. And despite his unexpected mid-game dental procedure, he still put in nearly 20 minutes on Wednesday.

"He doesn’t have many teeth left," DeBoer added. "He didn’t have many to begin with."

Chris Tanev had a tooth pulled in the middle of Game 5 before returning to the ice.

(Photo by Ashley Potts/NHLI via Getty Images)

Tanev and the Stars fell to the Avalanche, 5-3, in Game 5, but they still have a 3-2 lead as the series heads back to Colorado. Dallas will have a chance to advance to the Western Conference Final on Friday night at 10 p.m. ET. A loss Friday will send the series back to Dallas for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday.