Boston Bruins center Gregory Campbell proved, once again, why hockey players are the toughest men on the planet.
With Game 3 of the NHL's Eastern Conference tied at 1-1 on Wednesday night and the Bruins defending a power play with just under 8:00 left in the second period, Campbell threw himself in front of a slapshot from Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, blocking the shot.
After a few seconds on the ice, Campbell struggled to his feet, and hobbled around for the next 45 seconds, continuing to play defense as he finished his shift and the Bruins killed the power play. Check out the video of the sequence below:
Now, that display of toughness alone would normally be enough to earn the respect of anyone who might be watching.
And the Bruins crowd chanted Campbell’s name as he came off the ice.
"They know their hockey. But you don't have to know hockey too well to know how gutsy that was," Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference told NHL.com. "But, I think this is obviously a city that appreciates that kind of effort. It's not the first time they've seen effort from guys on that line and what they do and what they bring to this team."
But the grit Campbell showed was really put in perspective when it was reported that he broke his leg on the play — something Ference, himself, did in a game a few years ago:
On Thursday, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli confirmed that Campbell’s leg had been broken. Campbell will be out for the rest of the playoffs. But that he stayed in the game and tried to contribute after breaking his leg says a lot about the man they call Soupy.
Like I said . . . Hockey players: they’re tougher than you are.
