From the moment the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs started for the Bruins, fans and pundits could tell that there was something wrong with goaltender Linus Ullmark. It was obvious that he was dealing with some kind of ailment, and that was later confirmed by NHL analyst Kevin Weekes following their inexplicable postseason loss to the Florida Panthers.
According to Weekes, Ullmark was trying to play through a "debilitating" injury that clearly affected his mobility and speed between the pipes:
"Like all teams ; players grit it out to play through major injuries in the Playoffs. My sources tell me soon to be Vezina G Ullmark was playing through a debilitating & painful injury that limited his mobility and technique."
This afternoon was Boston's end of season media availability, and when questioned about the nature of the injury that he was playing through, Ullmark instead declined to get into any specifics.
"You know what, here's the deal," Ullmark began. "We all go through things when it comes to playoff time, we all battle different things. Whether mentally or physically, we all have our stuff. We all want to be out there and help the team to the best of our abilities. It is pretty evident that I didn't play the way that I wanted to, I wasn't as good as I wanted to be unfortunately at the worst time possible. It's something I have to live with, and I'm so grateful for all the guys that are in this room, the medical room and the organization."
"The guys in the medical room doing everything they can for us, they've been true warriors throughout the season. I have full respect and fully respect everything they have, and the respect I have for them is immense. They helped me throughout the whole season to keep me in balanced shape."
Well, there you have it. Ullmark isn't going to go into any specifics as to the injury that played a major role in Boston's historic season being all for naught. Do you believe that he owes the fans more of an explanation?
