Couture all smiles after offseason recovery

Logan Couture was all smiles at his first inguinal All-In For Brain Research celebrity charity casino event in London, Ontario this week, and that's saying something.

Couture took a brutal slap shot to the face late in the season that cost him some teeth and a whole lot more comfort. The 28-year-old Sharks center seemed to lose a step in the playoffs once he returned after a seven-game absence, scoring two goals and one assist in six games against the Edmonton Oilers.

It was speculated that the pain from his damaged mouth was the culprit, and that certainly seems to be the case. Couture said he was still feeling the effects of that deflected Brent Burns slap shot five months later.

Couture updated his health status, saying:

“There’s good days and bad days. My bottom teeth are still my real teeth. They’ve tried to keep ’em so I don’t lose 'em. I don’t know if I’ll be able to, they’re still pretty sore. My top teeth are all fake now – my front six, I think. So, it’s different. It just feels different in my mouth.

“But everything else with my face and all that’s healed. So I’m lucky that it’s an injury that didn’t affect my training, and hopefully won’t affect me going forward.”

Great news for Sharks fans, he's got that winning smile back (well, most of it anyway), and no lingering issues will keep him away from training up for another great season in San Jose.

In case your memory needs a jog, here's the play that only the tooth fairy could love: