The Colorado Avalanche have played only three games this season, but center John Mitchell looks like he is preparing for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. We’re not referring to his play, which has been solid so far with two goals and two assists through three games. We’re talking about his face.
As you can see from the photo above that Mike Chambers of the Denver Post shared on Twitter, Mitchell’s face is quickly starting to look like he rolled off a jagged 40-foot cliff and somehow survived the fall. According to Chambers, the 28-year-old left Thursday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets after taking a puck to the forehead on his second shift of the game. The gash required 10 stitches to close, but Mitchell was able to return to the game and score an insurance goal in the third period to put Colorado up 3-0 en route to a 4-0 victory.
“I could see out of both eyes. I knew I was cut, obviously, but I could see,” Mitchell said after the game. “It’s always nice when you have a significant injury, you get stitched up and you come back. I just wanted to come back and try and help the team out any way I could. Scoring a goal is obviously a bonus.”
So that covers the forehead, but what about the rest? During Colorado’s season-opener on Jan. 19, Mitchell got cut on the nose while scoring the team’s first goal of the season in a loss to the Minnesota Wild. Then on Tuesday, he chipped a tooth during a win over the LA Kings.
While Mitchell’s injuries may not be as bad as the ones caused by this skate to the face or this skate to the forehead, it’s obvious the guy can’t catch a break. At this point, he’d probably like to go just one game without having to eat a puck or a stick.
