BOSTON — Chris Kelly addressed the media Thursday for the first time since suffering a broken femur during loss to the Dallas Stars earlier this month.
After walking into the TD Garden media room — on crutches, but without a cast — the veteran Bruins forward relived the play that more than likely will end up being his last of the 2015-16 season.
“(My leg) was pretty sore,” Kelly said. “I wasn’t quite sure what had happened. I knew when I was laying on the ice that my leg was kind of numb, and I couldn’t feel it. I had something in my head that I thought had happened, and it didn’t happen that way. I think when I went down, the play continued a little bit, and I could hear the reaction of Dallas’ bench kind of calling for the refs to stop the play.
“I can’t feel my leg, and they’re kind of in a panic mode on their bench, so for a moment there, it was pretty scary not knowing what my leg was looking like. But after the training staff and the doctors came out, I was able to regroup, and (defenseman Zdeno Chara) was able to help me off the ice. It was that I was able to get off without a stretcher.”
Kelly, who suffered the injury just seconds into his first shift of the game, said he initially believed he’d been slashed by Stars forward Colton Sceviour.
“But there was no slash on the play,” he said. “That pain that I felt was actually the femur breaking.
“I haven’t seen the play. Maybe eventually I’ll take a look. But it was just one of those freak accidents that never happens, and it just happened.”
As a 35-year-old whose contract is set to expire at the end of this season, there’s a legitimate chance Kelly’s injury could be career-ending. But he immediately rebuffed the notion of retirement.
“That’s the furthest thing from my mind,” Kelly said. “I think age is, in my opinion, just a mindset. I felt great coming into camp this year. The great thing about hockey, someone said, is you always feel like you’re 24, even if you’re 19 or you’re 34.
“I want to continue to play. I love the game. I love being around the guys. The guys have been great. When you get an injury like this, you realize what a strong community the hockey world is. Lots of people reached out to me, and a lot of well-wishes. It was great to see.”
For now, Kelly is focused on rehabbing, working out — he hopes to begin stationary bike work next week — and remaining involved with the team however possible. With a projected recovery time of six to eight months, it’s unlikely he’ll play again this season. But he has not given up hope of a last-minute return.
“You always have to have a goal, and that’s one of the goals I have,” Kelly said. “You’ve just got to keep coming in every day and working hard, and hopefully the team plays well, we make the playoffs, we go on a long playoff run, and you guys see me back out there.”
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
