The career of Boston Bruins’ center Marc Savard is once again in jeopardy after the veteran forward suffered another concussion on Monday night. Savard was diagnosed with the head injury after Saturday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, and general manager Peter Chiarelli said that he is out indefinitely. Chiarelli told the media on Monday night that Savard was diagnosed with the concussion and that there is no timetable for his return. The question mark now for fans keeping an eye on the NHL standings is whether Savard will ever be able to return to full health both physically and mentally.
The concussion is Savard’s fourth of his career, and happened during the second period of the game against Colorado, after which he did not return. The 33-year old crashed head-first in to the boards in the middle frame, and according to reports flew straight home to Boston after the game to be re-evaluated by team doctors. Savard had already taken a blow to the head from Pittsburgh Penguins’ rearguard Deryk Engelland just a few days earlier in a game played on Jan. 15, but continued to play. It was a scary moment when Engelland connected with Savard on a clean hit that sent the Bruins’ center head first in to the boards. Savard laid on the ice for several minutes and was attended to by the training staff while clutching his head, but after post-game examinations it was ruled that he didn’t suffer a concussion. The former All-Star said after that hit that he was a little bit dazed but didn’t feel any of the effects of a regular concussion, which would include headaches and lack of balance. That all changed after he bumped his head again in the online sports betting contest against Colorado.
Once again, it was a clean hit that sent Savard to the ice. The problem was that after connecting with Avalanche defenseman Matt Hunwick, his head slammed against the bottom of the glass with a violent force. Savard was in obvious pain and had to be helped off the ice, and there is significant concern that a player that missed the first 23 games of this season due to post-concussion syndrome may be at his limit as far as the blows that he has taken to the head. The veteran pivot suffered a grade two concussion following a blindside hit to the head from Matt Cooke of the Penguins last March, and the problem with concussions is that they have lasting effects, unlike a pay per head injury to an arm or a leg. Savard was sent to a specialist in Pittsburgh named Dr. Michael Collins before returning to the ice this year, and after getting clearance was reported to be 100-percent. Now, his career may be in jeopardy as Savard will likely go through the same sort of tests again to determine if and when he will be back, although it is highly unlikely that it won’t be any time before the Super Bowl betting weekend. Boston is currently six points up on the Montreal Canadiens for first place in the Northeast division standings.
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