Actor Alan Thicke Struck by Hockey Puck

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - "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.

"I won't be playing any leading men roles in the next couple of months," he said.

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Multi-hyphenated Canadian star Alan Thicke was whacked in the face by a hockey puck on Wednesday, requiring 30 stitches and dislodging five teeth. The writer/producer/composer/actor was playing a pick-up game in Burbank when he got in the way of the out-of-control puck.

"I normally play defensively, but I made an untypical offensive move that got me in trouble and also landed a puck in my face," explains Thicke in a statement.

"Alias" star Michael Vartan was among the players on the ice at the time of the incident and Thicke admits he may not have proved the best role model this time around, playing without the proper helmet and face guard.

"I should know better, especially since I lecture kids all the time about hockey safety and equipment," he says.

News reports indicate that Thicke will need extensive dental work and possibly cosmetic surgery to repair all the damage.

Although he's best known as always amiable father Jason Seaver on the popular ABC sitcom "Growing Pains," Thicke may be even more influential behind the scenes. A three-time Emmy nominated scribe, Thicke also composed the original theme for "Wheel of Fortune" as well as the title tracks from "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes."

At the time of the hockey accident, Thicke was taking a break from promoting an updated version of his book "How Men Have Babies." Perhaps he'll use his upcoming downtime to do more writing.

"I won't be playing any leading men roles in the next couple of months," he notes.

Where did you hear about this? I recently joined this board so I didn't know when it happened that it happened.:wave: :wave:

He was shown on the ABC 50 show... and looked like he was healing well. Of course, if he smiled, he'd probably look like a Jack-o-lantern...pumpkin:

:eek2:

That's just awful!! Ouch!! Who'd have thought? I hope that he's doing better now that it's been a few months. What are they going to do about his teeth? :(