1. Gordie Howe
The aptly named “Mr. Hockey” sports the greatest hockey smile on our list. Howe is on the list because he is missing a few teeth himself, but he’s also responsible for taking his fair share of teeth from fellow players. The stories about Howe are endless and amazing, but there’s one that stands out in regards to Gordie the tooth fairy:
"“One night we were playin’ Detroit in the playoffs, and the puck went into Gordie’s corner in our end. I’m the closest Leaf, so I head for the corner, and I get there the same time as Howe. He runs me into the fence, and I turn around and I whack him across the shins, and he gives me a push back in the shoulders, just misses my head, and I give him another crack. He turns with his elbow and catches me right in the mouth. I say, ‘Uh-oh, I’m in trouble here.’ I got blood runnin’ down, and I stick my tongue up and the tooth is gone, see. So [referee] Leo Gravelle blows the whistle. And I said, ‘Leo, for God’s sake, that’s a penalty.’ ‘No, no. I didn’t see it.’ I’m bleedin’, eh? I say, ‘Well, look, I gotta try to find that tooth. So Leo says OK. He stopped the game, and for about three or four minutes everybody on both teams is lookin’ for the goddamn tooth. And we never did find it. “Two or three years later we’re in Detroit. It’s in my corner this time, and Howe comes in behind me, and I touch the puck and pass it over to Jimmy Thomson, and just as I pass the puck Howe plasters me against the boards. So I come out and I give him an elbow right in the middle of the chest, and he gives me an elbow back and there goes another tooth. His elbow came even with my mouth, my elbow went even with his belly button. Over the years I’ve met him once or twice somewhere along the lines. It’s always, ‘Hi, Howie, how are your teeth?’ He’s a great guy.”"
Howie Meeker of the Toronto Maple Leafs sums up Howe perfectly in this story. He was tough, he was ruthless, he induced fear in players on a nightly basis — but he was a great person.
Hockey players manage to compartmentalize what happens on and off the ice, or what is a part of the game and what isn’t. What happens on the ice is met with a “no hard feelings” off of it. Players fight, block shots, hit each other, punch each other in the face — or in Gordie’s case, throw the occasional elbow. Many of these instances lead to missing teeth. But any hockey player will tell you that teeth come and go, but the memories of playing the greatest game on earth stay with you forever.
Next: Best hockey player from each state
Agree? Disagree? Think I left some key smiles off the list? Tweet me @TheRealBruin and keep the discussion going.