MEDICINE HAT, AB — 72 hours after shattering his two front teeth on a high-stick, Medicine Hat Tigers forward Elijah Brown is all smiles.
Truth be told, his toothless grin has seen better days. But his positive attitude towards the situation is a telling sign he won’t miss a lick of action.
“It’s not too bad of an injury,” smiled the 19-year-old, who didn’t participate in the Tigers Skills Competition on Tuesday due to the situation. “I’ve been bugging Christy a lot about it, but, you know, it happens. It’s hockey.
“All you can do is smile right?”
Brown and linemate Logan Christensen were participating in a practice drill when the injury occurred.
“I guess his stick got lifted, caught me right in the teeth, felt one of my teeth go down my throat and I was like ‘uh oh, we’ve got a problem here’,” said the former first-round draft pick. “I put my hands underneath my lip and just… blood. Blood coming down. It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is. I’m giving him a hard time, but he’s a good kid and I know he didn’t mean to do it.”
Brown, who picked up his first two-goal game of the season in Red Deer last week, will join the Tigers in Moose Jaw on Friday night — jaw-protector and all.
“It takes me back,” added Brown when asked about playing with the cage. “I’m calling myself a college kid right now. It’ll take a little to get used to, but it should be good.”
