from Eric Engels of Sportsnet,

He knew that the collision, which he described as a "bell ringer", should’ve prompted him to seek immediate medical attention. But as he acknowledged on Monday, he wouldn’t be the first hockey player not acting in his own best interest under the circumstances.

What’s hard to understand is how many more blows he took to the head in the games that followed—and what he went through as a result—before he finally spoke up.

"In Game 2, I took the puck to the net and Brendan Smith cross-checked me in the face," Shaw recalled. "That rung my bell again. But me being the player I am, I wanted to keep playing. It’s playoff hockey and I just figured I’d work through it. Then I took a couple of big hits from Dan Girardi in [Games 3 and 4] in New York and we came back to Montreal and I ended up getting into a fight [with Smith in Game 5].

"You get punched a few times in the head in a fight and I’m thinking, ‘This is just getting worse and worse.’"

But Shaw remained silent.

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