Bruins star and emotional leader Marc Savard faced the bittersweet reality of watching his team win the Stanley Cup without him. But his name will join those of his teammates in history thanks to an assist from the NHL.
For a player to get his name on the Cup, NHL rules say he must play at least 41 games in the regular season or one in the Stanley Cup Finals. Savard only appeared in 25 games a year ago because of post-concussion syndrome and wasn't able to play in a single playoff game.
Bruins GM Peter Chiarellli said the team's petition to commissioner Gary Bettman was granted for Savard's name to be listed because of the extenuating circumstances of his head injury.
Savard, a center, didn't play after his second concussion in 10 months back in January and won't play this season, either.
Rookie defenseman Steven Kampfer, who appeared in 38 regular season games and no postseason games, and veteran Shane Hnidy, who was in three games in the regular season and three games in the first couple of rounds in the playoffs, are not likely to to have their names engraved, according to NESN. "Marc will be on the Cup," Chiarelli said. "The other guys, Steve and Shane, I'm not so sure yet, but Marc will be on the Cup."
"He's not in a good spot still. He still has recurring headaches; he still has post-concussion stuff," Chiarelli told WHDH-TV in Boston. "He's not playing this year. Frankly, I don't think he'll play again. That's my opinion, my layperson's opinion."
Savard, 34, played for his original team the New York Rangers in 1997 in addition to the Calgary Flames and Atlanta Thrashers before landing in Boston.
Before his injury, he was one of the most dynamic players in the game, averaging more than a point per game in his last three full NHL seasons.
