Toronto Maple Leafs goalie confirmed that he suffered a concussion during Game 1, which was caused by the elbow from Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett.

During the second period of that contest, Stolarz was down on the ice for a few moments after his former Panthers teammate’s elbow grazed the back of his head. While he initially stayed in the game immediately afterwards, he threw up on the bench minutes later during the TV timeout and was pulled from the contest.

Stolarz said to reporters on locker cleanout day that he felt fine after taking the shot off the mask in the first period and was more frustrated that he couldn’t be there with his teammates throughout much of the series.

“ I don’t think that there was any malicious intent on his part,” he said if Bennett did the act on purpose. “ Not just Benny, but that entire team, they play hard. I think it was just one of those things that it’s the playoffs and he’s in the moment.  He wants to score a goal for his team, and I’m doing my best to try to keep the puck outta the net.”

He added that Bennett reached out later to express regret over what happened, to which Stolarz told him ‘shit happens’ and wished him luck the rest of the playoffs.

After he was removed from the game, Stolarz was reportedly left the arena on a stretcher and went to a local hospital for further evaluation. While he admitted that it was a bit of a scary experience, Stolarz said the whole thing was for precautionary reasons and he started to improve as the night wore on.

Although he was unable to make another appearance in the playoffs, he was the backup goalie for Game 7, which signalled he was nearing a return had the Leafs made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

“ I missed that little part in the middle of the season. But I was extremely happy with the way I was able to bounce back, come back, and find my game,” he said. “ I owe a lot to [Curtis Sanford] and [Joseph Woll]. Curtis has been working hard with us ever since training camp, and it really put in the extra effort for me to get back during that injury.  Just kind of the techniques and just the way he prepared us really helped me. Myself and Woller, just being able to push each other all year. We have a great relationship and I got along with him extremely well. Looking forward to the opportunity to come back with him next year.”

There is no doubt that the way his and his team’s season ended was a tough pill to swallow, especially with a lot riding on it and being at home against the reigning Stanley Cup champions. But Stolarz knows there is nothing that can be done about the past and the only thing that can be controlled is how they respond in the future.

He also expressed his gratitude for his first season in Toronto while being eager to get back to work in preparation for the next campaign.

“ I think anywhere you go there’s gonna be pressure,” he said. “ Even in Florida last year, I kind of felt it, and obviously it’s a different market than here.  That pressure, I think it’s a good thing. At the end of the day, the pressure is going to want to make you better.  You want to get to the last game of the season.”