LOWELL, Mass. — With teammate Marc Savard's career in jeopardy and questions still surrounding Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby's return to the ice, Bruins forward Nathan Horton knows that he is fortunate to have seemingly avoided any long-term effects from the concussion he suffered during the Stanley Cup Final.
"I feel lucky," Horton said on Wednesday night. "Concussions are no fun. To have a bad one, it's tough. I'm fortunate to feel pretty good and not have any setbacks."
Horton also laid to rest any concerns about his availability at the start of the season, confirming that he'll be good to go when training camp opens on Sept. 16.
"I'll definitely be ready," said Horton, who also played most of the postseason with a separated shoulder. "I feel ready right now."
Horton was back in the Boston area to participate in Milan Lucic's Rock & Jock Celebrity Softball Game on Wednesday at LeLacheur Park in Lowell. And while competing in a friendly softball game might not quite be as taxing as playing in the NHL, Horton's presence on the diamond is certainly a positive sign after he was sidelined for the final four games of the Cup Final following a vicious late hit by Vancouver's Aaron Rome.
"I feel pretty good," Horton said. "I don't have any headaches. I feel back to normal."
Horton hasn't skated yet this offseason, but after taking some time to recuperate, he has resumed his regular workout schedule without any lingering effects.
"With the concussion I just wanted to go slow and ease into it," Horton said. "I think after such a long year, it's nice to take some time off, but it's tough to get it back when you do take time off.
"It just takes some time," Horton added. "I had a little bit of time to take off. I feel like myself. I can't really tell you any timetable, but it was really quick."
Horton couldn't pinpoint exactly when the symptoms subsided. He was just happy to be free of the effects of the concussion so quickly and noted he was feeling better even before the end of the series.
"I didn't feel too bad," Horton said. "Flying on the plane [to Game 7] didn't bother me. Obviously I was real excited that we won. I felt pretty good. Right after it happened I didn't feel great, but I didn't feel as bad as I thought I should have, and right now I feel great."
Horton's teammates were just as happy to see him back healthy and happy as usual.
"I thought he was healthy about a week after the season when I was hanging out with him," Shawn Thornton said. "He looked a lot better than I expected and he looks really good today. It's always good to see him smiling."
Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg agreed.
"It's very good to see him," Seidenberg said. "He was such a big part of our success in the playoffs. To lose a guy like that in the playoffs, it's huge. Any time you have him on the ice it definitely helps us scoring goals and just having offensive-zone time. It's definitely nice to see him."
