New Penguins Defenseman Alex Alexeyev Gets Honest About Painful Injury to His Mouth During Playoffs
Photo credit: PensBurgh
New Penguins defenseman Alex Alexeyev reveals that he had such a brutal injury to his teeth during the playoffs that they tried to pull one out with pliers.
Alex Alexeyev finished the 2024-25 campaign with an unwanted playoff memento, due to a high stick by Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans in Game 1 of a first-round series.
The face shot loosened some of his teeth, and the Washington Capitals' defensemen had a bubble throughout the rest of the playoffs.
Talking with RG's Daria Tuboltseva, Alexeyev described the injury and his initial emergency trip to the dentist.
"I was pumped, playing well, and in the third period - boom, my teeth get knocked out," Alexeyev said. "No penalty, because the refs said it was 'part of the follow-through.' And that's it - minus six teeth. Three uppers completely gone, roots and all. The other three lowers got chipped; one broke inside."
Two of Alexeyev's teeth were discovered after a Capitals Ice Crew staff member picked them up during the overtime intermission and handed them over to the Capitals' med staff.
The 25-year-old did not participate in the final 2:38 of regulation, did not skate until overtime, and did not receive a shift.
Alex Ovechkin scored at 1:26 of overtime to give Washington a 1-0 lead in the series, and Alexeyev then spent the rest of the night sitting in a dentist's chair.
"I went to the locker room, got two or three shots, and went back out," Alexeyev told Tuboltseva. "Thankfully, we scored right away - Ovi got it. After the game, I went straight to the dentist and sat there until 3 am. Surgery, stitches - they even tried pulling one upper tooth out of the gum with pliers - no luck."
The Mouth Injury did not Keep Alexeyev out Long as He Returned for the Rest of the Playoffs
Two days later, back came Alexeyev in Game 2, a familiar face to an already thin, short-handed defense missing Martin Fehervary. Alexeyev played in each of the remaining playoff games and averaged 10:24 of ice time.
He was fitted with temporary replacement teeth, but admits that he would rather play without them.
"Later, they made me two plates that clip onto the neighboring teeth," Alexeyev said. "For the lowers, they just filed them and put on crowns. The plates are temporary - no point in permanent ones. If they get knocked out again, it could fracture the skull because the pins go into the jawbone. If it were up to me, I'd wear them all the time, but you've got to smile for the cameras. At least on the ice, I can take them out."
Following Washington not giving him a qualifying offer over the summer, Alexeyev inked a one-year deal with the rebuilding Pittsburgh Penguins under first-year head coach Dan Muse.
He is looking for a larger role with Pittsburgh than he had in the nation's capital. Alexeyev won't play in Washington until the end of the season, as Pittsburgh's lone trip to Washington comes on April 12, in the last week of the regular season.
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