Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
As the Boston Bruins prepare for the upcoming NHL preseason, more than a few players are still recovering from injuries suffered during last postseason. Most notably, assistant captain Patrice Bergeron and fourth line center Gregory Campbell.
Campbell, you’ll remember, is now known more for his injury than anything he did before it. Taking an Evgeni Malkin slapshot off his leg against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals, Campbell gutted it out on the ice for almost a full minute while skating with a broken fibula.
Bergeron, on the other hand, seemingly injured every other body part. His wounds included torn cartilage, broken ribs, a separated shoulder and a collapsed lung. And, yes, he still played through all of that.
As the Bruins took the ice for the first day of training camp yesterday, both Bergeron and Campbell were out participating. The former has been insisting he’s well on the road to recovery and, despite still feeling some soreness, told ESPN Boston it wasn’t enough to prevent him from taking part in all drills.
“It wasn’t bad,” he said. “I felt it a couple of times in one or two battles but it doesn’t seem to linger after it. It’s there. It stays for about 30 seconds or so and then it goes away. I think it’s good news. I’m going to have to go through that for a couple of weeks and it should be fine. The medical staff is not worried about it, so I’m not worried about it.”
Campbell, on the other hand, still has a little recovering to do. He took the ice, but didn’t take part in any contact drills. Coach Claude Julien hinted it may be a while before he’s able to be a full practice participant, as the team is focusing on making sure the broken bone is fully healed beforehand.
With the first preseason game of the year coming Monday against the rival Montreal Canadiens, neither Campbell or Bergeron have been given the all clear to suit up. However, with the regular season still less than a month away, there’s a good chance both will be ready to go when the Tampa Bay Lightning come to town on October 3.
Casey Drottar is an NHL writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @CDrottar19 or “Like” him on Facebook
