"It was very hard": Flames' Pospisil opens up about struggles with post-concussion syndrome

While things are going great for Calgary Flames rookie Martin Pospisil, his journey to the NHL hasn’t been easy.

Through the first four seasons of his professional career, Pospisil dealt with several head injuries which affected his mental state. The 24-year-old joined Czech podcast Boris a Brambor and admitted that the concussions he suffered were very difficult to deal with. They even had him questioning if he was going to be able to continue his hockey career.

“It was very hard. I lived alone and had no one here,” Pospisil said in Czech (translated with Google Translate). “I couldn’t do anything. I had vertigo and I couldn’t stand light. I thought, what if it doesn’t get better? Hockey is everything to me. It was hard.”

Pospisil was limited to just 20 games in the 2022-23 campaign, as a fight sustained in his 20th game gave him what ended up being a season-ending concussion. With just four goals and 10 points in those 20 games, not many expected him to find himself on the Flames roster this season.

Pospisil was sent to the AHL to begin the 2023-24 season, but was summoned by the Flames after scoring three goals and six points in six games. He has quickly found a way to make an impact with the Flames, providing some depth scoring with three goals and five points through 15 games, while also providing plenty of physicality.

Given that at least two of his concussions have come in fights, he may not be as willing to drop the gloves as he was earlier in his career. That said, he is quickly proving to the Flames that he doesn’t need to fight in order to be effective. If he can continue to bring his snarl and some secondary scoring, he should continue to have a spot in the lineup.

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