Marc Savard – Boston Bruins
Savard and the Atlanta Thrashers in 2006 were magical, his impact as a top line center and once of the top play-makers in hockey, averaging just under 90 points per season from 2005-06 through 2008-09. While with the Boston Bruins, from 2006–2011, his career took a bad turn after he was hit by Pittsburgh Penguins Matt Cooke, resulting in a severe concussion. He did return for the 2010 postseason, but suffered another concussion in January 2011 and didn’t play again for the rest of the season. He was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and still suffers from it to this day.
Marc Savard – Boston Bruins
Darryl Stingley – New England Patriots
Stingley played his entire four year career with the New England Patriots. Stingley had 110 receptions, 1, 883 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. In a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders in 1978, Stingley was hit by defensive back Jack Tatum. Stingley’s helmet made contact with Tatum’s shoulder pad, and the hit compressed his spinal cord and broke his fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae. He would eventually regain limited movement in his right arm, but for the rest of his life, he was a quadriplegic. The injury came just after he had negotiated a contract extension that would have made him one of the highest paid receivers in the NFL. The incident became a symbol of violence in football and the NFL changed its rules to curtail aggressive plays. In 2007, Stingley passed away from heart disease and pneumonia complicated by quadriplegia.
Darryl Stingley – New England Patriots
