Patrick Brown is quick with a smile. As such, it does not take long to see that Brown has suffered one of the consequences of being a hockey player.
“I’m missing one tooth, obviously,” the 164-game NHL veteran says, flashing a gap up top. “It’s come out a bunch of times.”
Brown’s troubles started when he was 18 years old. He was playing summer hockey while wearing a half shield. One of his best friends high-sticked him in the mouth. Half of the tooth crumbled.
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“But it was just the bottom half,” Brown says. “I got to the dentist. They fixed it. So that was good.”
It turned bad, by his recollection, in 2022. Brown, playing for the Philadelphia Flyers, was on the forecheck. Martin Fehervary was in his sights. As Brown closed on the forecheck, the Washington Capitals defenseman lifted his elbow into his face.
“His elbow pad literally goes into my mouth and caves — the same tooth that was already broken in — the whole thing in,” Brown says. “So then the whole thing almost came out. It was split at the bottom. They tried to put a top on it. But there wasn’t enough base left.
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