DAVIDSON'S SUPPORT SYSTEM, LOVE FOR TEAMMATES FUELED RETURN FROM INJURIES
Jun 16, 2022By Suzie Cool
Overcoming injuries has unfortunately become an all-too-familiar trait for Rochester Americans defenseman Brandon Davidson. However, just because he’s faced adversity in the past trying to get back to the blueline during a season, doesn’t make it any easier the next time around.
Davidson would be the first to tell you that.
“When you go through something like this, I feel like there’s a little bit of guilt or I guess you feel like you owe your teammates so much because they’re giving so much,” stated the veteran defenseman when asked what’s at the forefront of his mind when facing the battles he did this past year.
Over the course of the Amerks’ 76-game season, Davidson appeared in just 23 matchups. After starting out the season healthy, Davidson suffered his first injury at the beginning of November that sidelined him until February.
WATCH: BRANDON DAVIDSON YEAR-END INTERVIEW
What fueled his return from injury one on the year? The motivation from his teammates giving their all every single day and having the right support system behind him no matter what.
“I think that’ll kind of motivate you to really, you know, propel you in the right direction and kind of push you through those hard times. Just wanting to be there for your teammates and I think a lot of that has to do with your support system. Your family, friends at home, girlfriends, wives, anything really can help you get through that and kind of push you in the right direction.”
Davidson would then make his first of two returns on Feb. 9 against the Wilkes-Barres/Scranton Penguins. However, after another 15 games Davidson, would once against find himself sidelined and out for what could’ve been the rest of the season if the Amerks didn’t make their eventual playoff push.
To be physically injured is one thing, however, the mental side of injuries is just as tough, and Davidson admits that it can be hard to deal with when you can’t physically do anything to help the team win.
“I mean, you want to do everything you can and then it’s hard because you can’t physically show anything for it,” commented Davidson when asked how important it is to have a healthy mental space when facing an injury-riddled season. “Staying mentally involved, you know, trying to be there in a helpful way around the guys that are playing is kind of part of being injured. Being able to provide some sort of support and, I think, with the guys that we had on our team, they could really feel that.”
In the regular season, Davidson went on to rack up six points on one goal and five assists in his 23 games. The veteran blueliner also added a much-needed physical presence that was missed in his time out with the 38 penalty minutes he accumulated in his small sample size from the 2021-22 season.
Thankfully though, Davidson’s season didn’t have to end on March 18 against the Cleveland Monsters. With the tenacity and grit that the Amerks squad put together over the year, they managed to squeak right into the playoffs and took everyone by surprise after a first-round sweep of the Belleville Senators to propel them to the North Division Semifinals against the Utica Comets.
This meant that Davidson was, in fact, going to make another return during the 2021-22 campaign. This time though, it was going to be during postseason action which fit Davidson’s physical style of play to a T.
“They were all-out battles, especially our second series against Utica,” commented Davidson when asked how his role was a perfect fit for these playoff matchups. “I feel that it was a game that I could play and that I could really do well in, and I think that did show. I felt like I had played some really good hockey, that we had played some really good hockey together and, you know, it was easier for me playing that style of hockey. That more physical, brute style definitely fits my way of playing games a lot more.”
Davidson went on to appear in six of Rochester’s 10 postseason matchups. While he wasn’t on the scoresheet for his offensive efforts, Davidson still managed to find himself in the penalty box for eight minutes over the playoffs.
At the end of the day, Davidson was just happy he got to take the ice one more time with a team that’s always going to be so near and dear to his heart.
“I know people tend to say this about good groups, but I think it was one of the best groups, if not, the best I’ve ever been a part of. I’m going to miss each and every one of those guys because, you know, I really did love each and every one of them.”