Tinordi suffered his injury back on Dec. 18 against the New York Rangers after a puck struck him the jaw breaking it in three different places. He went into surgery the following day where doctors placed two plates to fix the damage and wired his mouth shut. From there, he went on a liquid diet, limiting him to his usual workout routine and losing close to 15 pounds within four days.
When the incident first happened, the 6-foot-6 defenseman didn't know what happened in the moment putting him into a state of shock. Once he headed to the training room, he felt some teeth out of place and the pain kicked in and from there he knew something was wrong.
"I felt some teeth kind of not in a position that they're supposed to be in, and I knew I was in trouble a little bit," Tinordi said. "But you never really know how bad it was until you get back to the room. It kind of took me a second, I think the doctors and the training staff were kind of shocked a little bit too, so I knew it was pretty bad."
However, this wasn't the first facial injury that he suffered this season. A few games prior to that matchup, Tinordi received 50-100 stitches after a skate blade to the jaw back on Dec. 9 against the Winnipeg Jets. He described that he has dealt with bad injuries throughout his career, but never in a back-to-back situation.
Head coach Luke Richardson understood the pain and obstacles that Tinordi was going through after facing a similar situation in his playing days. He noted how difficult it was to see his player go down after making the most of his opportunity throughout the season. But with being a more physical player, he believes that Tinordi should have an easier transition back into his role when he makes his return to the lineup.
"He's a guy that a hard worker and a physical guy," Richardson said. "He knows how to play his role to a tee and in his area and I think he should be able to come back and fit right in quickly."
Looking back on the situation, Tinordi knew that the accident was out of his control with the way it occurred and couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. Instead of being down on himself, he tried to find ways to stay positive and did that by showing up around the team. Now, he looks to make his way back into the lineup within the next few games.
'After the surgery, you go through a stretch where you're recovering, and it was a little bit of a grind and much easier to get down and feel sorry for yourself a bit," Tinordi said. "But I think once I started coming to the rink and seeing the guys and I was able to practice with that group, I think that kind of changed things around for a little bit as well for where I was at mentally, so it was huge."
