Laine made sure beard wasn't shaved after chin cut by high stick

Hockey's most infamous beard almost fell prey to an errant high stick.

Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine suffered a gash on his chin during Sunday's game against Nashville, but he made it clear the facial hair is there to stay.

"I let them know right away that I'm gonna keep it and don't touch it," he said, according to Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun. "It was pretty much what they had to work with.

"I didn't stitch it up so I have no idea how they did that. But they are professionals and they did great work with it so they were able to save my beard. It was fantastic work."

Here's a look at what the beard looked like on opening night:

Here's a more recent look:

Laine has scored 43 goals in 75 games while developing this look.