Marc Savard left today's 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third period after taking a vicious hit to the head by Penguins forward Matt Cooke. Savard was diagnosed with a concussion as result of the hit and will not travel with the team to Toronto for Tuesday night's game.
Cooke hit Savard from the blindside and looked to have struck him with his elbow just as Savard was following through on a shot from the high slot. In my opinion it was a dirty, dangerous hit. Savard was in a vulnerable position and never saw Cooke coming and then you add the head shot to it. Somehow none of the on-ice officiasl saw anything wrong with the hit, but my guess is that they will be wearing out the rewind and pause buttons on the DVD player in Colin Campbell's office tonight.
Savard will miss at least the next week. As we know from Patrice Bergeron's concussion issues, you really can't set a timeline when it comes to head injuries. Hopefully, he will recover quickly and fully, but at this point his health is the most important thing.
The Official Statement
The Bruins have released the following statement on Savard's condition:
Marc lost consciousness briefly on the ice after being struck in the head. He suffered a concussion from the hit. He was not transported to a hospital, but will remain at the team hotel in Pittsburgh with a member of the Bruins' medical staff tonight as a precaution. No further update on Marc's condition is expected tonight.
Claude Julien's Take
Head Coach Claude Julien was obviously not happy about the hit: Claude Julien Post Game 3-7 (audio)
Where was the reaction?
Where were the other 17 skaters with a Spoked-B on their chest? I realize it was a one goal game, but you have to react and make players accountable for their actions on the ice. Nobody stepped up on the B's to send a message. Sure Bergeron was chirping at Sidney Crosby for a minute, but none of the Bruins tough guys stepped up and challenged the Penguins to answer the bell for a blatant cheapshot.