A Capitals player lost part of his ear after getting hit in the head by the puck

There’s sacrificing your body to block a shot, and then there’s actually losing a piece of your body to block a shot. That’s what Daniel Winnik found out when blocking a shot against the Panthers late in the third period.

That point-blank shot from Reilly Smith was apparently enough to take a piece off of Winnik’s ear. Yes, seriously.

Winnik was down on the ice for a few moments after the head shot before being escorted to the locker room. The Capitals forward eventually made his way back into the game without missing a shift. Here’s a better look at the blocked shot (via russianmachineneverbreaks.com).