Blues' Dunn would rather take another puck to face than wear face shield

There’s no denying it now: St. Louis Blues defenceman Vince Dunn is a hockey guy.

Despite taking a point shot to the face during last spring’s Western Conference Final that broke his jaw, undergoing at least four surgeries to repair the damage and sporting five new teeth as a result, the 22-year-old can’t even imagine wearing more than a visor on his helmet in the future.

“I’d rather just take another puck to the face,” Dunn said on Wednesday when asked if he’d wear a face shield, according to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic.

It’s the kind of response that either makes him the toughest guy in the room or a psychopath. The decision is really up to you.

Although his 2019 postseason ended with the Stanley Cup above his head, the former Niagara IceDog had to endure one of the playoffs’ gutsiest performances to do so. Battling for position in front of his net midway through the first period of Game 3 against the San Jose Sharks, Dunn has nailed by a point shot off the stick of Brenden Dillon.

He doesn’t remember any details of the play according to a feature Rutherford wrote for The Athletic about Dunn’s recovery that was published on Jun. 6, 2019 .

“It was just kind of a scary moment,” said Dunn, per Rutherford. “I just saw there was blood coming out of my mouth, and from there, it was kind of a blur.”

However, only 19 days later, he was back in the lineup for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins. With his Blues down 2-1 in the series entering the crucial contest, he picked up an assist on Ryan O’Reilly’s tally just 43 seconds into the opening frame.

St. Louis would go on to win the clash 4-2 and Lord Stanley’s mug in seven games.

And thankfully for Dunn at the time, teeth weren’t required to drink out of it.

More NHL coverage on Yahoo Sports