Six months removed from shoulder surgery, John Moore put plenty at risk to stand up for a teammate

Something wasn’t feeling quite right in John Moore’s shoulder as he skated off the TD Garden ice on Thursday.

It shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise to the veteran. After all, he’s been saddled with those uneasy sensations for close to nine months now. Pain might be an old friend for the 29-year-old skater, but that doesn’t make every ache and sharp jab of pain any less nerve-wracking until it subsides. 

Thursday was potentially the hardest pill to swallow for Moore, considering it was his first taste of the NHL since Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

For the previous six months, Moore has been mired in a tedious uphill climb back to game action — with the defenseman forced to undergo the first major surgery of his pro career after suffering a broken humerus and severe damage to his shoulder during a game against the Lightning back in March. Throughout a grueling rehab process, Moore had become accustomed to the pain that comes with the gradual build-up of strength back in his restructured shoulder.

But during his season debut? Moore quickly assumed the worst as he made his way to the Bruins' locker room.

"In rehab, there's a lot of instances where you have to test the boundaries of what you can and can't do," Moore said. "So I'm pretty familiar with that feeling. Your heart always sinks a little bit."

Still, as Moore deferred to Boston's medical staff to assess any potential damage, he didn't think twice about what transpired just minutes earlier.



After missing the first 28 games of the 2019-20 campaign while on the mend, Moore put his body at risk just 15:02 into his return to the NHL ranks by opting to drop the gloves with Chicago bottom-six winger Zack Smith a little past the midway point of the third period.

Just seconds earlier, Smith joined the growing list of opposing skaters that have attempted to curtail David Pastrnak's offensive prowess by throwing their weight around against the B's forward — as Smith caught Pastrnak high along the boards, dropping the winger to the ice and promoting an exasperated motion towards the on-ice official.

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The circumstances might not have been in Moore's favor, given his injury, but Moore didn't hesitate as he challenged Smith.

"I was right there, I saw it. I didn't like it," Moore said of the hit. "So I thought something had to be done and I just stepped in and did something. ... I don't know if it was the smartest decision, my first game back. But I saw someone take liberty on Pasta and felt like it was my turn."

Moore didn't last very long in the scrap, but the message was delivered very clear to Boston's bench.

“That’s the type of culture we have here," Torey Krug said. "Moresy wants to be a part of it. From Day 1, he’s taken everything about what being a Boston Bruin is about and taken it in full swing. That’s what you saw. He’s an unbelievable teammate. Great job of stepping up.”

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For Moore, a couple of minutes of panic at the possible thought of re-injuring his shoulder managed to pass without much incident. Shortly after exiting the contest, Moore made his way back out to the ice and logged his time in the sin bin before skating for another minute-plus of TOI in Boston's eventual 4-3 overtime loss to the Blackhawks.

"Totally fine, no issues," he noted postgame. "Just got checked out by the doctor and it's all good."

With Kevan Miller's status still up in the air after suffering another setback in his return from a pair of knee surgeries, Moore stands as Boston's primary option as far as reinforcements go on the blue line, even if his current role with the team may not be as clearly defined as he likely envisioned when he signed a five-year contract with Boston back in July 2018.

It wouldn't come as much of a surprise if Moore and Connor Clifton split reps on Boston's third D pairing going forward, at least until Miller's status becomes much more defined (or more injuries surface).

But, staying in the present, Moore was satisfied with at least checking off the necessary boxes mapped out for him as the final step in an onerous rehab regimen.

"It was awesome," Moore said of skating out on his first shift. "Torey came up and gave me a big pat on the butt after. I don't think I even touched the puck, but the guys were great to me and excited for me. It was fun. ... I'm really glad that I got a game in the minors under my belt. I felt more comfortable as the game went on. I really tried to keep it simple. Grizz (Matt Grzelcyk) made it really easy for me. He was talking a lot and we were just trying to make some plays."

Ultimately, there would be no cliched movie ending to Moore's night. No OT winner was in the cards for him, validating what was a miserable stretch of months prior to Thursday's contest. When compared to David Backes' game-winning tally in his return to game action on Sunday, Moore's final stat line might seem a bit more pedestrian — 16:11 of ice time, three shots on goal, one giveaway, and two blocks.

But given the risks involved, the final game log of five minutes served in the penalty box was what stood out to Bruce Cassidy and many others in Boston's locker room.

"You can’t say enough about him, right? Here he is, coming off of shoulder surgery and obviously it’s a reaction thing. He’s not thinking about anything other than protecting his teammates," Cassidy said. "So that just tells you all you need to know about his character. Probably not the perfect guy in that situation coming off that injury, but good for him. He’ll earn a lot of respect in that locker room that he already had, but now even more."

For Moore — whether it be 16 minutes, 25 minutes, or just a 30-second shift — time spent back on the ice sure beats the spot he was in just a few months prior.

"When you take almost 30 games watching, you really have a lot of time to reflect and appreciate and be grateful to be a Boston Bruin and play in the NHL," he said. "It's not something I take for granted."