Hockey Is Just So … Canadian

What is the first rule of show biz? Protect your face – maybe that’s why they call him Thicke:

“Growing Pains” TV dad Alan Thicke received 30 stitches and lost five teeth after he was struck by a puck while practicing for a celebrity fund-raising hockey game, his spokesman said Wednesday.

The 56-year-old actor was skating at a Burbank ice rink Tuesday with “Alias” television star Michael Vartan and eight other players when he was hit in the face, Jerry Digney said.

The actor was treated at a Burbank hospital and was recuperating at his Santa Barbara home, Digney said.

The Canadian-born actor was practicing for a May fund-raiser in New York for that city’s police and fire departments. Thicke, who has played hockey since he was 5, said he still hopes to take part in the game, although the injury may keep him away from work for a while. [AP]

maybe now her can star in Slap Shot 2.