20 hockey smiles that prove teeth are overrated

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TEAM CANADA—08/26/04—Dany Heatley gets most of the water in his mouth as Team Canada practices for the World Cup of Hockey at the Corel Centre in Kanata west of Ottawa, August 26, 2004. (Photo by Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /

17. Dany Heatley

Say what you will about Heatley’s infamous career on and off ice, but for a time, the guy could flat-out play. The Heater spent the best years of his career in Atlanta with the Thrashers, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in 2002. Then he moved on to Ottawa, where he thrived alongside linemates Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, setting franchise records for single-season goals and points.

Heatley lost his tooth in rookie training camp after taking a high stick from a teammate. He believed the missing tooth made him look tougher. He decided he would only use a fake tooth to fill the gap for “special occasions.”

Heatley has a long list of issues during his long career, from the tragic car crash that killed his Thrashers teammate, Dan Snyder, to the trade drama, to slowly collecting underachieving seasons in the later years of his career.

For the purpose of this article, we’ll ignore all of the extraneous stuff about his career and simply agree that his smile is among the best.

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