20 hockey smiles that prove teeth are overrated

7. Mark Messier

Staying with the NHL’s historically elite players, Mark Messier is an all-timer in both his career and his smile. Messier is third in all time NHL points, with 1887. He’s easily a top five player all-time, and widely regarded as one of the greatest leaders in NHL history.

Messier played the bulk of his career with the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers. (We’ll leave out the brief stint in Vancouver.) During his time in New York, the go-to dentist of a few of his teammates, Dr. Irwin Miller (a.k.a. Miller the Driller) mentioned to the New York Times about Messier’s dislike of dental work. Messier, as tough as he is, commented on this as well. “I’ll admit I’m a coward,” he said.

Messier’s teammate at the time, Ron Greschner, was the opposite. In a playoff game, Greschner had four teeth knocked out and four more cracked. He declined any painkillers while having the fragments taken out between periods and would go on to finish the game. He celebrated the Rangers win by drinking beer through a straw that night before a root canal the following morning.

These guys are insane. I wince in pain at the slightest toothache and avoid the dentist at all costs. While Messier shares my distaste of dental work, he also stays on the ice if he takes a puck to the face. Admittedly, that might lead to a few days off work for me.

Messier was a six-time Stanley Cup champion played the bulk of his career next to Wayne Gretzky, making them arguably the greatest duo in sports history. Messier collected two more cups but owns two fewer teeth than the Great One over their respective careers. As the photo above shows, he had them quickly replaced.