Athletes get used to having their bodies take a beating. Even when he sustained his worst injury, Matt Hunwick had no idea anything was out of the ordinary. "My ribs were a little sore ... but I didn't even know I had an injury," says the Bruins defenseman. It was game one of the 2009 playoffs in April, and Hunwick was checked into the board. Aside from the expected soreness, he felt fine and played through the rest of the Bruins' winning game, even returning for practice the following day. But afterwards, pain spread to his abdominals and shoulder. A CAT scan showed spleen damage, and though he was initially sent home, he returned the next morning in greater pain: his spleen was ruptured, and an emergency removal was necessary. Hunwick was out the rest of the season, the first time in 10 years that the Bruins won a playoff series. Recovery went well, but it's still a frustrating experience for someone usually in total command of his body. "It's hard when you mind wants to get over it, but your body won't allow you," he says. His diminished red blood cell count left him feeling tired, and his heart rate would be unusually high during practice skates. Now he's back on the ice and feeling great, though he regularly takes antibiotic courses as a precaution against infections, as the spleen helps regulate the immune system. Aside from that, he's more conscious of his body's hard work -- and that sometimes the big blows can seem little at first.
