NHL Star Nathan MacKinnon is proving once again why hockey players are not like the rest of us -- the Avalanche center was a bloodied mess after getting rocked in the face by a puck during a game ... but somehow, he was back on the ice just minutes later!!
The incredible act of toughness went down during the second period of Colorado's matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday ... when a puck was deflected right into his schnoz.
Blood immediately flowed from the Stanley Cup champ's face .