Maple Leafs captain John Tavares doesn't remember hits that caused concussion, knee injury

Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares did all he could to return as quickly as possible from the scary concussion and knee injury he suffered in Game 1 of the first-round postseason series against the Montreal Canadiens on May 20 but ultimately could do nothing but watch as a spectator as Toronto squandered a 3-1 series advantage and then dropped Game 7 on Monday. 

Tavares spoke with reporters Wednesday for the first time since the incident and admitted he does not recall either of the collisions that forced him to be stretchered off the ice in the first period of Game 1 and spend a night in a local hospital. 

"I don't remember the hits," he explained, per Mike Zeisberger of the NHL website. "I remember the whole day, my first couple of shifts. And then I remember feeling parts of it. As I was kind of on the ice and getting put on the stretcher and getting onto the ambulance and kind of when I was getting onto the ambulance, is when I really started to kind of get the grasp of it, kind of get a better understanding of what was going on."

Tavares added that he has not yet seen a replay from Game 1 and that Canadiens forward Corey Perry, who accidentally clipped him in the head, reached out to him after that contest. He also thanked "everybody across the hockey community, Leafs Nation and so many people that reached out to wish me a speedy recovery."