Victor Hedman played 43 of 45 games with a SIGNIFICANT injury

By now, I'm sure we've all heard about Kucherov's fractured ribs or McDonagh's broken hand (Barclay Goodrow suffered a similar injury as well), but the injury that Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman suffered this season was considerably more significant - especially if you consider how long he played through the pain.

According to Bolts GM Julien BriseBois, Hedman had suffered a torn meniscus on March 30th. What's truly remarkable here is that Hedman had played through it, dressing in 20 of the 22 games after suffering the injury and all 23 postseason contests.

BriseBois confirmed that Hedman will require surgery to repair the damage to his knee and that the surgery would take place today.

Such an injury can require as much as 3-6 months recovery time, depending on the severity of the tear.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Professional hockey players are some of the absolute toughest athletes on the planet.