The Boston Bruins will get their captain back Thursday as Patrice Bergeron will return to the lineup against the Islanders. Bergeron missed three games with a head injury.

Bergeron suffered a head injury a little over a week ago against the Penguins, as the centerman collided with Pittsburgh’s captain Sidney Crosby before awkwardly slamming into the boards. That resulted in the 36-year-old receiving a number of stitches on the back of his head.

“I felt good,” said Bergeron. “It was more a matter of taking the time with the cut. I think the team as well, the trainers, wanted to make sure everything was back to normal before I was heading back on the ice in games…taking the time for the swelling to go down…extra precaution with the doctors and all. I appreciate that obviously.”

Bergeron, who has a history of concussions — one that almost ended his career back in 2007 when Flyers defenseman Randy Jones hit him from behind into the boards, was asked if the injury made him think about the future of his career.

“It wasn’t one of those (injuries) where I needed to really think about it,” he said. “You want to make sure as an athlete — you want to do the right thing on the ice and play as hard as you can but also you think about your future as well and want to be smart that way.

“That’s also why I think we took the extra time to make sure it was really feeling great.”

If you enjoyed our content, please consider:
Signing up for our daily newsletter here
Following us on Twitter here