When you are 6-foot-6, 220 pounds playing defense in hockey, you would think that you have the advantage when physical contact happens. You would think your head would be protected from dangerous hits. But for Boston Bruins’ defenseman Brandon Carlo, history has shown that even the biggest can be susceptible to head injuries. The 25-year-old has returned to the ice after a fifth career concussion, and this one might have been the scariest.
No team understands concussions’ effect on players’ careers quite like the Bruins. Former center Marc Savard had his career cut short after concussions caused the Ottawa native to retire during the Bruins’ Stanley Cup run in 2010-11. After 25 games that season, Savard finally succumbed to the aftereffects of many concussions, some even causing momentary blindness in one eye. Savard had 305 points in 304 games with Boston but could not continue his career and had to call it quits at 34.
Carlo’s career is starting to take on the same unfortunate path. On April 8, 2017, the former second-round pick took a wicked hit from Alex Ovechkin and suffered his first reported concussion in the NHL. Carlo would miss the entire playoffs that season. In March 2020, the big defenseman took a hit from Evgenii Dadonov and missed two games with his concussion. The third and fourth head injured came three months apart in 2021. In March of that year, Carlo missed ten games after a hit from Tom Wilson. The 2015 draft pick would miss the three playoff games in June after a collision with Cal Clutterbuck. The concussions were multiplying and getting more serious.
Fast forward to this season when on October 15, Carlo took a hit against the boards that seemed to result in his head hitting the glass with force. Many didn’t realize at the time that Carlo lost sight in one of his eyes after the hit, similar to Savard. Now with five documented concussions at just 25 years old, Brandon Carlo is entering a risky part of his career in just his seventh season. Should Carlo continue to play professional hockey? Should the Colorado Springs native take more time to recover?
The second question was answered by Carlo when he returned to the Bruins’ lineup on Tuesday night after missing only four games. The right-shot defenseman played 18:29 of ice time and blocked two shots in the Bruins’ 3-1 over Dallas. The quick return was somewhat surprising considering Carlo’s description of his symptoms after the fifth concussion. Carlo returned just ten days after losing sight due to the hit.
Head Coach Jim Montgomery praised Carlo by saying he was a “beast” in the win over the Stars. Although he has taken some criticism from fans for not being physical at times, nobody can question Brandon Carlo’s toughness. His return certainly helps the Bruins, but at some point, Carlo will have to help himself if the sixth concussion happens sooner rather than later.
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