Marc Savard Cheap shot injury
In a scene horribly reminiscent of Patrice Bergeron’s life-threatening concussion two seasons ago, Bruins [team stats] star center Marc Savard was taken from the Mellon Arena ice on a stretcher late in the Penguins’ 2-1 victory this afternoon.
Savard was the victim of a blindside, cheap-shot elbow to the head delivered by Pens forward Matt Cooke — a player who has handed out more than his share of dirty hits.
Savard was knocked unconscious by the hit and lay on the ice for several minutes, surrounded by EMTs, trainers and doctors. He suffered a concussion and a jaw injury. There was little immediate detail on his condition after the game.
Savard had just let go a slap shot from the high slot when Cooke came in from behind him and slammed his elbow into the side of his head. Remarkably, there was no penalty called on the play, although it’s likely Cooke faces a substantial suspension by the NHL.
“That was probably the classic blindside hit to the head, and that’s exactly what we’re trying to get rid of,” said a visibly angry B’s coach Claude Julien. “A guy like that has to be suspended. We have a player who has a concussion, who’s our best player, and he’s going to be out for a while.”
One of the on-ice officials said to Bergeron of the hit, “He was finishing his check.”
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