Matt Grzelcyk talked about how emotional it was to miss Stanley Cup Final games
The Bruins defenseman fought through tears describing his recovery from a concussion.
A number of Bruins players shed tears Wednesday night after losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the St. Louis Blues.
Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk’s emotions came out in the locker room when he said it was “really hard” missing almost five full games in the series due to his concussion.
“I think probably the worst thing as a player is having to sit and watch, not being able to go out there and battle with the guys,” Grzelcyk said.
Grzelcyk, 25, was injured early in Game 2 when Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist hit him from behind, slamming No. 48’s head into the boards. Though he returned to practice with the team June 5 in a non-contact jersey, Grzelcyk was only cleared to return to in-game action Wednesday morning, just ahead of Game 7.
😭MATT GRZELCYK😭
Gut wrenching watching#NHLBruins D start to cry when asked what it was like missing #StanleyCup games due to a concussion he suffered in game 2 vs #stlblues pic.twitter.com/6T0rHEN6sD— Scott Sullivan (@sullybunZ) June 13, 2019
Grzelcyk played almost 18 minutes Wednesday night and scored Boston’s lone goal with just over two minutes left in the game.
“There’s kind of a lot of things going through my head right now,” Grzelcyk said. “It’s pretty tough.”
Grzelcyk explained he felt “a lot more like myself” 15 days after the concussion and it that was “obviously great” to play in Game 7, but admitted he was still in shock from his team’s loss.
“Obviously, you have some regrets in the game,” he said. “It’s a lot to take in right now, but there’s certainly a lot to be proud of this year.”
