BOSTON — Gregory Campbell knows all too well what Steven Stamkos felt on Monday afternoon at TD Garden. Perhaps more importantly, Campbell knows the pain — physically, mentally and emotionally — that Stamkos will feel over the coming days, weeks and months.
Stamkos suffered a broken tibia Monday afternoon in the Lightning’s 3-0 loss to the Bruins at the Garden. Midway through the second period, Stamkos went crashing into the net, practically wrapping his right leg around the goalpost. He rolled on the ice in pain before eventually being stretchered off.
It’s a crushing blow not only for the Bolts, but for all of the NHL. Campbell himself knows how difficult it will be for Stamkos to get healthy, as the Bruins center went through something similar recently. Campbell broke his right fibula in the Eastern Conference finals last season, an injury that needed surgery and also ended the forward’s season in the middle of the playoffs.
It was obviously a difficult thing for Campbell to go through, and he now feels for Stamkos, as the Lightning superstar is about to go through the same thing.
“I don’t like to see that to anybody,” Campbell said after the Bruins’ 3-0 win over Tampa Bay. “I have a lot of respect for him, but whether it’s him or somebody else, injuries are tough, tough to come back from. It’s definitely a long road and I wish him the best but it’s a part of the game that is not a positive thing.”
The injury to Stamkos is going to get a ton of attention as well. He’s one of the best players in the game, and he’s quickly becoming the face of the league. His injury impacts much, much more than just the Lightning and their quest for success.
“[He’s] one of the key faces of the game and somebody that’s so respected, and such a good player, has a lot to offer to the league and to his team,” Campbell added. “Like I said, I wish him the best. He’s becoming the face of the game now; one of the key faces of the NHL, and you know, an Olympic year — a lot of things that are negative about it for his own personal game it’s unfortunate.
“Injuries do happen, it’s something that you have to come to expect, unfortunately, but like I said, it’s the beginning of a long process when you get injured, and he’s an important player to his team and to the league, but he’s a strong guy, I know he works hard, and I’m sure he’ll be back stronger than ever.”
