Winnipeg Jets Forward Vladislav Namestnikov Could Play Just Two Days After Suffering A Broken Cheekbone

Need more evidence that hockey athletes are built different? Allow me to introduce you to Vladislav Namestnikov. 

The Winnipeg Jets forward is a 31-year-old from Russia who centers the fourth line for his team. He does fill the stat sheet - he’s got one goal in four games of Winnipeg’s series against the Colorado Avalanche - but he’s reliable and constantly gives effort.

On Sunday afternoon, he was one of the biggest headlines to come out of Game 4, but for an unfortunate reason.

With Colorado holding a 4-1 lead with 13 minutes left in the third period, the Jets won a faceoff in their offensive zone. Defenseman Nate Schmidt lined up to blast the puck, and Namestnikov tried to get himself out of the path of the shot.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to, and the puck hit him smack dab in the face. He fell to the ground in obvious pain, and play immediately stopped.

He was taken to the hospital afterward for an evaluation.

"It’s scary," his teammate Mark Scheifele said of the incident. "You never want to see that much blood, no matter what, no matter who it is. Especially a guy on our squad. That sucks. All you can do is hope and pray that he’s OK. That’s a scary one. Just got to pray for him."

Vladislav Namestnikov Was Struck In The Face With A Slapshot

To the surprise of no one, CBS Sports reported that Namestnikov suffered a fractured cheekbone. But that doesn’t mean he’s out for the next game.

DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 28: Vladislav Namestnikov #7 of the Winnipeg Jets lays on the ice after taking a puck to the face in Game 4. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Apparently, there’s a chance the center could wear a full cage around his helmet and show up in Game 5 on Tuesday (which the Jets must win or they’re eliminated). That’s right, a guy with a broken face could end up playing just two days after sustaining the injury.

If that were me, I’d probably want more than one day off to rest after a broken cheek bone. But then again, I don’t have the toughness of a hockey player.

They’re just a different breed of human being.