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Dealing with first concussion has been ‘just weird’ for Leafs’ Bozak

Concussion’s have arguably become the trickiest injury to deal with in sports, and Leafs forward Tyler Bozak is finding that out the hard way.

The 29-year-old suffered the first concussion of his career after he was hit by Senators forward Mika Zibanejad on Feb. 6 (top). Bozak’s been out ever since.

“It’s just weird,” Bozak said, per Sportsnet. “You’re not really hurt. Like when you’ve hurt your arm or your leg or something you know what you can and can’t do. But when you have (a concussion) it’s kind of hard. When I started riding the bike I’d get headaches right after.

“And then some mornings I’d wake up with a headache and some mornings I wouldn’t. I guess every day is a new thing.”

Bozak was cleared for contact on Tuesday, but not before he failed his two previous baseline tests. He finally returned to practice on Wednesday. The Leafs aren’t sure when he’ll be available to play in a game.

When seeking advice on how to deal with his injury, Bozak turned to former teammate Clarke MacArthur. The Sens forward suffered two concussions in a short period of time earlier this season and he hasn’t played since. His experience has proven to be valuable for Bozak.

“He just said (to) try and stay positive and try and stay patient,” Bozak said of his talks with MacArthur. “He had a couple (concussions) pretty much back-to-back and it’s been a tough road for him. It’s obviously really frustrating because you want to be out there – any time you’re not out practising with the guys and going out on the road, it’s tough – but it’s one of those things that it’s a lot more important to be patient and make sure everything’s all right.”