Its been eerily quiet on the Marc Savard front for too long this season as he continues to battle post-concussion syndrome symptoms, but Bruins Nation will finally hear from No. 91 Thursday night . . . and for all the right reasons.
Savard will be in Boston to attend the BruinsCanadiens game and hell begin hosting a luxury suite at the TD Garden for pediatric patients at Childrens Hospital Boston, with a focus on children suffering from the effects of head trauma from both a medical and psychological standpoint.
Savard purchased the suite for every Bruins home game for the remainder of the 2011-12 season and through the completion of the 2013-14 season. The suite will be complete with healthy food and goodie bags for each guest, as well as a visit from the Bruins mascot, Blades, and the Bruins Ice Girls.
Savard will entertain his young guests in the box on Thursday night at the Garden in his first appearance in Boston this season.
The head trauma issues obviously hits very close to home for Savard, who has played in a grand total of 32 NHL gamesregular season and playoffssince being blindsided by a Matt Cooke elbow on March 7, 2009 in Pittsburgh that ultimately brought about the NHLs newly adopted head shot rules.
The team agreed to shut down Savard this season, and both general manager Peter Chiarelli and coach Claude Julien have indicated that the playmaking centers career may very well be over.
"Marc Savard understands firsthand the challenges faced by children suffering from the effects of head trauma from both a medical and psychological standpoint," Beth Donegan Driscoll, Director of Child Life Services at Childrens Hospital Boston, said in a statement released by the Bruins. "The partnership with Marc Savard is an exceptional opportunity for Childrens Hospital Boston patients and their families to experience the thrill of a Bruins game at the generosity of this very special man."
The Childrens Hospital Boston Brain Injury Center specializes in the management and treatment of all types of traumatic brain injury. The Childrens Hospital Boston Brain Injury Center is helping to define the best practices in the way brain injuries are cared for, from early response through inpatient care and long-term follow-up.