BOSTON — Hockey is a violent sport, and the deeper you play into a season, the greater the chance for injuries.
In addition to 82 regular-season games, the Boston Bruins played 12 Stanley Cup playoff games before bowing out in the second round against the Tampa Bay Lightning. And at the team’s breakup day Wednesday, a handful of Bruins revealed the injuries they were playing through when the season came to an end.
— Patrice Bergeron missed Game 4 of the Toronto Maple Leafs series with concussion-like symptoms. He also was dealing with a groin issue that bothered him early in the season before coming back to nag him in the playoffs. Bergeron was hopeful he wouldn’t need surgery, but he wasn’t able to totally rule it out, either.
— Brad Marchand also had a groin injury for the last six or seven games of the playoffs.
— Torey Krug suffered a fractured ankle in Game 4 against Tampa Bay when he crashed into the boards. He’ll be in a boot for two months but won’t need surgery and should be ready to go for training camp.
— Jake DeBrusk was dealing with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. He doesn’t expect to need surgery.
— Zdeno Chara dealt with an upper-body injury, but the Bruins captain didn’t offer any more information.
However, Chara told The Athletic he suffered a fractured right index finger during Game 2 against Toronto and it’ll take six weeks to heal. He’s hoping he won’t need surgery.
— David Backes wouldn’t definitively say he had a concussion after leaving Game 5, but he was feeling the symptoms and does have a concussion history. If the Bruins had advanced, Backes was optimistic he’d be able to return.
— Riley Nash also had a concussion stemming from the late-season ear laceration he suffered when hit with a puck.
