It was an ugly scene when the normally indefatigable Chris Tanev didn’t bounce back to his feet after taking a hit to the head in front of the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ net 10 days ago.
The shot-blocking Tanev has taken more than his fair share of body blows—largely from pucks—over the years. But usually we see him do something like spit out a tooth and stay in the lineup.
This time, however, he stayed on the ice, hands on his head, and, looking quite woozy, had to be helped off by trainers. Tanev has revealed that he sustained a concussion.
The incident occurred against the New Jersey Devils back on Oct. 21st, when Dawson Mercer’s head collided with his in a battle in front of the net.
When you’re sort of stunned and a little bit confused, it’s not ideal.
Tanev was left ‘stunned and confused’ after head hit
The 35-year-old (36 next month) admitted he was “stunned and confused” and underwent 10 days of concussion protocol. He has come out feeling good and feels he is ready to return to the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
In fact, Tanev said he felt “quite normal” very soon after the incident. “I feel good. I’ve been through all the steps and had to get into a full practice to sort of complete the protocol,” he told reporters on Friday. “And it went well today, so we’ll see how (Saturday’s game) goes.”
Throwing his body around the way he does, this isn’t the first time he’s suffered from a concussion in his career. And each one, as he notes, is a different experience.
“I don’t think any one mimics another one. Sometimes your symptoms may last a while, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they’re headaches, sometimes they’re just head pressure. Could be your mood. I mean, there’s so many different things a person can feel, and I don’t think any one is the same.”
Tanev missed 4 games for Leafs while on concussion protocol
His return will be a relief for the Leafs. They went 2-2-0 in the four games he missed, but the defense overall has been a huge disappointment this season. The number of odd-man rushes the team has been giving up is, quite frankly, alarming. However, Tanev feels that can be cleaned up.
“I think just getting back to doing the little things really well. Being hungry, working for each other, having numbers around pucks… just wanting to help each other on the ice and be close to each other in case there are breakdowns. Because obviously it’s a game of mistakes and things happen, and just having the ability to work hard to… bail a teammate out.
“I think just cleaning up how much we’re giving up and sort of the chances we’re giving up, and then checking, working for each other, and then we’ll be fine”.
The Leafs have to hope so. Because once this magical Toronto Blue Jays World Series ride is over (and the end is coming Saturday night, one way or the other), all the focus shifts back to the hockey team.
And for those who haven’t been following, they might be a little “stunned and confused” themselves at how this team looks.
