The NHL playoffs started Wednesday night and if you needed any reminder of how tough hockey players are, you just need to see how San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski scored his team’s first goal of the postseason against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Because boy did it look painful.
It all happened in the first period with the Sharks on the power play against the defending Western Conference champions. Pavelski was parked in front of the goal looking for any chance to get his stick on a puck to redirect into the goal.
But instead of doing it with his stick, he did it with his face:
I mean, what a perfect redirect, except for the fact that it was with his face:
Pavelski immediately left the ice with a bloody face and went right to the locker room.
But then in the second period, he returned:
Hockey players, man.
He gave an updated after the game, which the Sharks won 5-2:
NHL fans were in awe:
