Bruins’ Brandon Carlo details his recovery back from latest concussion
"It comes to a point where you have to focus on your brain health and the future as well."
Brandon Carlo is playing some of the best hockey of his career in 2023-24.
The anchor of a stout penalty-kill unit, the Bruins’ shutdown defenseman’s strides have coincided with an unblemished injury record as of late — at least beyond the bumps and bruises that come with eating up pucks during shorthanded minutes.
But as soon as the 27-year-old Carlo caught a seemingly harmless elbow on Jan. 8 in Denver, he knew something was wrong.
“I kind of just ran into an elbow and then from there I got nauseous after I ended up going back to the locker room and I threw up,” Carlo told reporters on Saturday morning at Warrior Ice Arena. “So, that kind of held me out of the game, for sure, just based on those symptoms.”
Carlo would miss the next five games as a result of an upper-body injury, with the blueliner acknowledging Saturday that his injury was a concussion. This marks the sixth documented concussion that Carlo has suffered in his NHL career, with his latest coming in Oct. 2022.
“Obviously I’ve been through this before, so something that I take seriously,” Carlo noted. “It’s hard at times because in the moment you can start to feel really good, but you still got to pay attention to the little things and the little symptoms that are still lingering. And from there, I got to focus also a lot with my history with concussions, just the future.”
His game may not be particularly flashy, but Carlo’s value to Boston can’t be understated when he’s operating at a high level out on the ice.
A pair of Carlo and Hampus Lindholm thrived as Boston’s shutdown duo last season, with Boston holding a 34-18 edge in goals scored during their 649:16 of 5v5 ice time together.
This year, Carlo is sixth in the NHL in shorthanded ice time per game (3:28), with Boston holding a 30-18 advantage in goals scored during his 625 minutes of 5v5 reps.
But as valuable as Carlo is to Boston’s stingy defensive identity, concussions have plagued the steady skater for years. While some of his early injuries were the byproduct of bone-crunching checks against the glass, Carlo stressed on Saturday that he made progress in limiting the number of times he puts himself in the crosshairs of a dangerous hit.
“I feel happy with where my game has been, especially with taking hits and being more cognizant of riding guys into the wall and not creating that separation where it allows them to get the bigger hits on me,” Carlo said. “So I feel like I’ve done a good job of that. Like I said, this one was just a little bit fluky. Not as bad as my other ones by any means, so I’m happy with that.”
Carlo acknowledged the risks that come with traumatic brain injuries like concussions, especially as far as long-term ramifications related to his health. However, he added that he wouldn’t be back on the ice if he didn’t feel “fully confident” in himself.
“I still feel very comfortable playing this game … And that helps me recognize even more that each game, each day is a blessing,” Carlo said. “I’m just grateful to be here. … It comes to a point where you have to focus on your brain health and the future as well.
“You’re seeing it a lot more with guys, and it’s a topic to be discussed with CTE and all of that in the future, and you definitely want to do everything you can to protect that. So, just making sure I feel 100 percent, as I do, and I’m ready to come back.”
After missing five straight games, Carlo is expected to slot back into Boston’s lineup for Saturday’s home against the Canadiens.
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