BOSTON — The official diagnosis lists Bruins defenseman Steven Kampfer as having suffered a "mild" concussion during Thursday's win over Tampa Bay.
But the Bruins know better than most organization that any head injury can have serious consequences, and the club is being cautious with the rookie blueliner. Kampfer will miss at least a week, but could be out longer.
"I'm getting better every day," Kampfer said Saturday morning after his teammates took part in the pre-game skate in preparation for their game against Pittsburgh. "It's kind of precautionary. With the way this organization has gone through some things in the last little bit we want to make sure we're taking the right steps here. It's not something you want to rush back from, especially with the way things have gone with Savvy [Marc Savard] and Bergy [Patrice Bergeron]. We're going to take things slow and make sure that every day is a little better than the last."
Kampfer's concussion isn't nearly as severe as the injuries suffered by Savard and Bergeron. Savard is out for the season after suffering a concussion in January that followed on the heels of a severe concussion almost exactly year ago on a blindside cheap shot by Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke. Bergeron missed most of the 2007-08 season with a concussion suffered when driven into the boards from behind by Philadelphia defenseman Randy Jones.
Kampfer's isn't expected to be sidelined long term, but he does have a history of head injuries that require some extra caution.
"It's not the first one," Kampfer said of this concussion. "I've had a couple before, but I've had time in between the last couple where it wouldn't be reoccurring."
Kampfer suffered a concussion and a skull fracture in October 2008 in an off-ice incident at the University of Michigan. Wolverines football player Mike Milano was eventually convicted of aggravated assault but acquitted of felony assault in that case. After returning to the ice, Kampfer suffered another concussion and a sprained neck when attacked by Michigan State's Andrew Conboy and Corey Tropp on Jan. 24, 2009. Both Spartan players were suspended for the remainder of the season.
The latest hit on Kampfer was far less egregious, though Kampfer still felt that Tampa forward Mattias Ritola should have been called for interference on the play.
"I just remember turning and getting hit," Kampfer said. "I didn't even touch the puck. I saw the tape, and I guess it kind of rubs me the wrong way that there was no penalty on the play, because he had no intention of playing the puck. It bothered me that way. I thought it was a clean hit personally just because my body was square. But it's not fun when you're not expecting a hit. It's frustrating because you don't want to sit out either."
That hit by Ritola came at 7:58 of the second period. Kampfer returned briefly later in the period, but quickly realized he did not feel right and was shut down for the rest of the night.
"I didn't know right away," Kampfer said. "I got back to the bench and when I talked to [Bruins trainer] Donnie [DelNegro] my head started hurting. I tried going out there for a shift and I didn't feel well. My head started pounding more. So I talked to them and just sat there for the rest of the period. When we came off we decided that it would be in my best interest to come out of the game and get reevaluated [Friday]."
Now that he's been diagnosed with another concussion, Kamper will take his time to make sure he is fully recovered before returning to action.
"We're going to kind of take it day by day," Kampfer said. "I'm feeling better each day we go on, which is a positive thing. At the same time, we've got a lot of season left. You don't want to rush back from something like this and have it keep happening over and over again. You want to make sure that you're totally symptom-free before I start skating again or even biking. So they're going to take things extra slow."
