By Joe Haggerty
CSNNE.comBOSTONThe Boston Bruins have confirmed what was feared after Game 3: Nathan Horton has a severe concussion and will miss the rest of the Stanley Cup Finals after being hit in the head by Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome Monday nightat TD Garden amid a big 8-1 victory for the Bruins.Horton was drilled more than a full second after he released the puck on a pass to Milan Lucic in the neutral zone, and then slammed his head on the ice. The collision caused what the team called a severe concussion, which will keep Horton out for the remainder of the Finals."He's gone back home," said coach Claude Julien in announcing that Horton had been released from Massachusetts General Hospital. ""We lost a pretty good player, but we're glad to know it's not as bad as you always suspect.
"Obviously it's a long roadto recovery and we're hoping he can come back fully real soon."According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, Rome sent a text to Horton in which he said it was never his intent to hurt the Bruins' winger.The Bs right winger played two minutes and two shifts in the first period before suffering the injury. A combination of Michael Ryder and Rich Peverley replaced Horton at right wing on the top line for the rest of the game.Horton, 26, is tied for second on the Bruins in playoff scoring with 17 points on eight goals and nine assists, and became the first player in NHL playoff history to notch a pair of game-winning goals in two different Game 7s. He tallied three game-winning goals this postseason in all. Horton finished his first year as a Bruin with 26 goals and 27 assists for 53 points during the regular season.The Horton news was first reported by 98.5 the Sports Hub radio host Tony Massarotti on Tuesday morning during the "Toucher and Rich Show."
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