But fighting through a broken tibia? That was the case with Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Bonino, who confessed the ailment to Hockey Night in Canada following the Penguins' Stanley Cup championship on Sunday.
Bonino wrapped up the playoffs with seven points in 21 games, with his last appearance coming in Game 2 against the Nashville Predators.
The Pittsburgh Penguins celebrated their second straight Stanley Cup on Sunday night, and it just so happened that goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury - who has likely played his final game with the team - handed the most beautiful trophy in sports to Matt Murray, who took his job, and is (somehow) a two-time Cup winner as a rookie.
Fleury played a crucial role in Pittsburgh's fifth championship, taking over after Murray was injured in warmups ahead of Game 1 of the first round.
"Matt is the goalie of the future for this team, I think it was important for him to celebrate tonight.” - Fleury on passing Cup to Murray
Unfortunately for the Nashville Predators, it happened at the worst possible time.
Colton Sissons appeared to open the scoring in Game 6, but the goal was waved off following a very premature whistle from the referee. Nashville went on to lose the game and the Stanley Cup, and the Predators would have been justified in having a bad taste in their mouths.
The Pittsburgh Penguins won Game 6 by a score of 2-0 over the host Nashville Predators to win the fifth Stanley Cup in franchise history and the second in as many seasons.
Following the Pittsburgh Penguins hoisting the Stanley Cup on Sunday, doing so after defeating Nashville in six games, it took little time for the Predators to look to the future.
"The biggest thing we've got to take from this is remember the feeling. I don't think you want to fight it. Just let it sink and take it because to get back here that is what is going to drive us," Subban said on Hockey Night in Canada. "We're going to be back here again next year."
Murray had a terrific regular season but began the playoffs on the injured list. Once healthy, he was called upon in relief of Marc-Andre Fleury during the Eastern Conference Finals and reclaimed his rightful spot as Pittsburgh's starter.
In 11 appearances against Nashville and Ottawa, Murray posted a record of 7-3 with a sparkling save percentage of .937.
This after guiding the team to a championship in 2016, posting a record of 15-6 with a .923 save percentage along the way. He maintained his rookie status entering 2016-17 because he had appeared in only 13 regular-season games.
To be considered a rookie, a player must not have played in more than 25 NHL games in any preceding seasons, nor in six or more NHL games in each of any two preceding seasons.
Murray, still only 23, will enter next season having finally shed the rookie tag and likely without Fleury to back him up. He's certainly earned the right to backstop this team for years to come, although his first two playoff performances will be tough to top.
With the Pittsburgh Penguins successfully defending the Stanley Cup on Sunday, their Steel City neighbors were more than ready to offer their congratulations.
Sidney Crosby is the most valuable player of the playoffs.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain finished the postseason with eight goals and 19 assists in 25 games. It is the second straight Conn Smythe Trophy win for Crosby, who captured the award a year ago when the Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks to win the Stanley Cup.
Crosby becomes just the third player to win back-to-back Conn Smythes. Goaltender Bernie Parent did so with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1974 and 1975, while Mario Lemieux did the same with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992.
The Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators in six games to capture their fifth championship in franchise history.
Sidney Crosby and Co. defeated the Nashville Predators 2-0 in Sunday's Game 6 to win the Stanley Cup Final 4-2. Patric Hornqvist scored the winning goal at 18:25 of the third period, and Carl Hagelin sealed the deal with an empty-net goal. Matt Murray was spectacular in the crease, stopping 27 shots to earn his second straight shutout.
It's the fifth Stanley Cup in Penguins history, each won on the road.
The game was filled with controversy, after an early second-period goal by Colton Sissons was ruled no-goal after referee Kevin Pollack blew the play dead early having lost sight of the puck.
The referees did their best to try and make it up to Nashville, the Predators going on four power plays to Pittsburgh's none, but Peter Laviolette's crew couldn't find the back of the net.
Pittsburgh is the first team to repeat as Cup champs in the Stanley Cup era, and the first since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998.
The Pittsburgh Penguins winger scored the first and winning goal of Game 6 with 1:35 remaining in the third period by banking the puck off Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne from behind the net.
The goal was Hornqvist's fifth of the playoffs and biggest of his life.