Depression adds to Savard’s burden

When I asked him during the informal media scrum if he were dealing with nausea, headaches, dizziness, seeing spots, and depression — many of the common issues related to concussions and often PCS — he said, “I think everything you just summed up there. I’ve had issues with everything so far, so, like I said, I have to see the doctors, get the help that I need and go from there.’’

And the most difficult of those symptoms?

“Oh, probably the depression part,’’ he said, his tone somber, his emotions clearly stirred. “That’s probably the toughest, so . . . that’s it.’’

This is why Savard’s road back is total guesswork and likely will remain that way for weeks, possibly months. His myriad symptoms of PCS must abate before he can begin working out; then he will have to get back on the ice and work his way into game condition.

Considering that he hasn’t played since mid-May, and that he skated for only a short time over the summer, he has a hefty, if not daunting, body of work in front of him.

“It’s one of those sciences that no one’s been able to figure out yet,’’ said coach Claude Julien. “Everyone’s dealt with it differently, everyone’s recovered from it differently.’’

In one sense, Savard is fortunate, not only to have identified depression as his most nagging symptom, but also to be playing in modern times when something that can be so bedeviling is treatable, accepted. In the old NHL, as well as perhaps most pro sports cultures, it easily could have gone undetected or dismissed by teammates as so much excuse-making, malingering, even faking.

“I don’t think there’s anybody in this room that has ever not been exposed to that kind of thing,’’ said Julien, noting that he “absolutely’’ understood what Savard said about depression. “Whether it’s family-related, friends or whatever, it is something that is very, very common, I think.