20 hockey smiles that prove teeth are overrated

2. Duncan Keith

Chicago Blackhawks star defenseman Duncan Keith has one of the most iconic smiles in hockey. He also has the career to match. Keith has lost both original and fake teeth, and is one of few on this list who sports an empty bottom lip as well as missing several teeth on the top.

It’s no wonder Keith is missing so many teeth when you see how he uses his face to block shots:

Keith had a similar outing in the Blackhawks’ 2010 Stanley Cup run. He was hit in the face by a Patrick Marleau shot, taking out seven of his teeth. Keith went into the change room, had team doctors freeze his mouth, and returned to the game. He played more than 29 minutes.

In perhaps the cutest “hockey guy” quote ever, Keith said after the game, “It’s just missing teeth. It’s a long way from the heart.” Keith shows us heart and leadership on a regular basis — despite probably having the fewest teeth out of anyone on this list. In reality, teeth are not that far from the heart, and are also very close to the brain. But Keith takes pucks to the face on a regular basis, so we’ll give him a break on the human anatomy stuff.

Duncan Keith is a role model for young players learning how to play the game mentally, not just physically. He shows the kind of heart and toughness it takes to be successful in the NHL. He may have learned some of those traits from this next guy, who was known to be a bit of a tough guy himself.