Kimmo Timonen risked his life to play the final 4 months of his NHL career.

We've all heard stories that tell of just how incredibly tough hockey players can be, at times playing through almost unbelievable injuries and near-impossible levels of pain all in the name of winning at the highest level of the sport. Often times though players can be too tough for their own good, and this may very well be one of those cases.

Former National Hockey League defenseman Kimmo Timonen recently sat down with Chicago Blackhawks insider Mark Lazerus of The Athletic and it was during that conversation that Timonen revealed just how big of a risk he had personally taken just to have a few more moments in the NHL.

Timonen would reveal that he had to go to 15 different medical professionals in his final season before finally finding one that would medically clear him to play in the NHL while also being on blood thinners, a very dangerous prospect. Even when finally finding a medical professional willing to clear him though, Timonen was told that what he was doing remained unsafe. In spite of that, Timonen admits that he pushed forward to keep his career going.

“He said, ‘I think we can find a way for you to finish your career the next four months,’” Timonen admitted as per The Athletic. “He said, ‘It’s not safe, but we can find a way to finish.’ I said, ‘Let’s go, I can take that chance.’ Everyone around me thought I was crazy, but my passion for the game was strong and I wasn’t going to retire without my skates on. The Flyers said, ‘No chance, we’re not going to kill you.’ That was when we found this guy in Washington.”

Of course that final year of his career would come as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, during the 2014-15 NHL regular season. That in turn would lead to a Stanley Cup run and a Stanley Cup Championship for Timonen, who admits that he would do it all over again if he had to.

“We won the Stanley Cup,” Timonen said. “There I was, on the ice with my skates on, raising the Cup. I was happy.”