Jets' Morgan Barron receives 75 stitches after taking skate to face

Winnipeg Jets forward Morgan Barron embodied the true spirit of a "hockey guy" on Tuesday.

Midway through the first period of Game 1 of the first round series between the Jets and Vegas Golden Knights, goaltender Laurent Brossoit's skate collided with Barron's face during a chaotic net front scrum. Barron suffered a skate just above his right eye, and left the ice in some distress.

Fans worried about the 24-year-old's health after such a scary incident, but Barron did not leave the hockey world in the dark for long, returning to the bench midway through the second period with a cage on and 75 (!!) stitches above his eye.

Barron would return to the ice and help Winnipeg take the early series lead with a decisive 5-1 win over Vegas. Adam Lowry led the way with a pair of goals, while the Jets' star trio of Kyle Connor, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Blake Wheeler each notched a goal of their own. Connor Hellebuyck only made 16 saves, as the Jets suffocated the Golden Knights all over the ice.

Barron spoke to reporters post-game, and was asked how he felt in the moment as the skate came horrifyingly close to doing major damage on his face.

"Just trying to figure out if the puck went in, because it was sitting pretty close," he said. Classic.

The Halifax, NS., native was also complimentary of the team's medical staff, who got him back out on the ice in less than a period of actual game time.

“They did a great job stitching me up and, obviously, it missed my eye. I was glad it didn’t get me in a real bad spot, but they did a great job fixing me up," Barron said.

Barron's bravery did not go unnoticed by his teammates, and least of all by head coach Rick Bowness, who had some high praise for his young forward.

“He looks like he got attacked by a shark," Bowness said. “That’s Winnipeg Jets hockey, that we’re all in. Morgan is a perfect example of that.”