Ice hockey star loses part of his ear, then wins game

Ice hockey players are regarded as some of the toughest in world sport, often suffering broken bones and engaging in fisty-cuffs with their opponents on a regular basis.

Life on the ice is no picnic.

And perhaps the finest example of that came during the New York Rangers’ clash against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

During the first period, Rangers defenceman Kevin Klein took a stick to the ear from the Penguins’ Zach Still and was horrified to see a chunk of flesh sliced off in the coming together.

29-year-old Klein was unsurprisingly forced off the ice as blood poured down the side of his head and onto his jersey.

However, just 13 stitches and some painkillers later, he was reintroduced back into the game.

And if that wasn’t enough, Klein guided his side to an overtime win over the Penguins, scoring the winning goal in an extraordinary 4-3 victory.

As an added bonus, it seems that Klein’s ear will make a full recovery.

“I don’t know if anyone saw his ear there, but he lost a piece of it and they sewed it back,” coach Alain Vigneault told the New York Post.

“Say what you want about hockey players, but they’re tough sons of b*****s.”

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