It’s no secret that hockey is a dangerous and combative sport. You may think the players are completely protected by their equipment free from harm, think again. Although hockey players are outfitted from head to toe in protective equipment it is still very easy to suffer an injury while on the ice. For example, take a look at Boston Bruins center Marc Savard. He has suffered two high grade concussions in less than a year leaving him sidelined from the game he loves. As Marc deals with the physical repercussions of his injuries, he also has to battle the mental back lash that goes along with an injury such as a concussion. Playing hockey and suffering an injury while doing so has many effects, in Savard’s case those effects will last forever. He may not score as many goals as Crosby, Stamkos, or Ovechkin but what he brings to the table is worth just as much if not more.
Beginning his junior hockey career with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League Savard was leading the league in points by his second season with the team. Those 139 points scored during his second season in the OHL were a driving force behind Savard being picked 5th overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. Although Savard is known as a Bruin today, that’s not where his NHL career began. In 1995 he was not selected by the Bruins, but instead by another original six rival, the New York Rangers. Marc played two more seasons in the OHL before entering the AHL. During those two seasons he captured his second Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the league’s leading point’s scorer in the 1996-1997 season with 130 points. After this impressive display of offensive power Marc was assigned to the New York Rangers AHL affiliate team, the Hartford Wolfpack in the 1997-1998 season. During his first season in the AHL Marc put up 74 points while being called up to the NHL in 28 games. Savards impressive rookie campaign earned him a bigger role the following season with the rangers of the NHL, playing in 70 games Marc tallied 45 points. Despite earning an expanded role with the Rangers, Savard was dealt to the Calgary Flames in 1999. As he began to play with his new team in Calgary Savard showed just what he was made of during the 2000-2001 season, finishing second in team scoring, behind Jerome Iginla, with 65 points. Savard went on to play in four more seasons with the Flames. At the beginning of his fourth season in Calgary Savard was acquired by the southeast division Atlanta Thrashers. While in Atlanta Savard played alongside superstars Danny Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk, playing along such players enhanced Savard’s personal game to becoming a point-per-game player in the 2003-2004 season. Following the NHL lockout season in 2004-2005 Savard resumed play and tallied a career high 97 points. Just as Savard came into his potential in Atlanta he became an unrestricted free agent and signed with a team that he would change the identity of for years to come.
Signing a four year 20 million dollar contract on July 1, 2006 Marc Savard became the newest member of the original six organization, the Boston Bruins. In his next four seasons with Boston Marc managed to accomplish a lot. He led the team in scoring his first year with 96 points while being named to two NHL All Star games, one in 2008 and one in 2009. Shortly after going to his second All Star Game Marc suffered a broken foot while blocking a shot. He was placed on long-term injured reserve on October 1st, 2009. After taking some time to recuperate and heal his injury Savard returned to the team and was signed to a 7-year, $28.05 million dollar extension. After signing his extension Savard was not on the ice long before he suffered yet another injury. Colliding with Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews, Marc suffered a minor MCL tear in his right knee. Savard went through another healing time period and returned to his team once again. Following the pattern of time before him, Savard would return to the lineup to once again be injured, this time it was more serious than ever.
In a game against their eastern conference rivals, The Pittsburgh Penguins, Bruins fans witnessed a play that changed one of their own player’s lives forever. On March 7th, 2010 Marc Savard suffered a grade two concussion after receiving a hit to the head from Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke. Savard lay motionless on the ice as time seemed to freeze. Emergency medical professionals rushed to Savard’s side as he was escorted off the ice on a stretcher. Bruins fans know what it’s like to have one of their key players lost to an injury such as a concussion, and when Savard lay motionless on the ice Bruins fans flashed back to Patrice Bergeron being in the same situation not once, but twice.
As the Bruins continued their season and made a push into the playoffs Savard tried to recover as quickly as possible. Being cleared for the second round of the 2010 playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers Marc returned to the lineup to score the overtime game winning goal in game one of the series that would eventually go to seven games. The second round was where the Bruins 2009-2010 season ended, with the Flyers eliminating them in seven games. Over the offseason Savard took this time to continue to recover and sharpen up on his game that was deteriorated due to his constant injuries. When the 2010-2011 season began Savard was ready to return to his normal role with the B’s.
Everything was going well for Savard until a scary situation arose that was all too familiar to the Boston center man. Colliding with former teammate Matt Hunwick, Savard suffered his second serious concussion in less than a year in a game versus the Colorado Avalanche on January 22, 2011. After repeated concussion the Bruins organization decided to shut down Savard for the rest of the 2010-2011 season.
Any injury suffered while playing a high intensity sport such as hockey is a serious one. But one such as a concussion, or in Marc’s case two concussions, is an injury that will leave lasting effects for the rest of the player’s life. Savard is trying to keep positive as he goes through the recovery process once again in less than a year. He says he does not want to even think about retiring because that’s something he just does not want to do. Savard plans on going for more medical testing and trying to make a comeback at some point in the future. This is not as easy as it may seem because with an injury as severe as Savard’s comes not only physical, but mental effects as well. Even though it’s tough for Bruins fans to think about, it’s evident that Savard will be dealing with the lasting effects of repeated concussions for the rest of his life. Protective equipment can only protect you so much when it comes to a dangerous sport such as hockey, sadly Marc Savard is a prime example of this.
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