When medicine, therapy, and the gifted hands of trainers Don DelNegro and Derek Repucci had done all they could, David Krejci turned to another savior.
"I was even praying to God sometimes, 'Just get me through the game. I don't want to play good. I'm not asking to play good. Just get me through the game so I can play 100 percent.' I did that," Krejci said. "I played in every game and in the playoffs."
If there was any benefit to last Thursday's Game 7 overtime loss to Carolina, it's that battered Bruins like Krejci (one of three players to appear in every regular-season and postseason match) can now allow doctors to repair their injuries.
Krejci, diagnosed with an impingement on his right hip, is one of three Bruins who will have surgery in the upcoming weeks. Phil Kessel (torn rotator cuff and labrum) and Andrew Ference (groin tear) will also undergo operations. Recovery time for Krejci and Kessel is 4-6 months. Neither is expected to be in uniform for the start of the 2009-10 season.
Yesterday's breakup day, when players could speak freely about injuries, underscored just how hurt the Bruins were when the Hurricanes ended their season. Mark Recchi had a kidney stone removed last Wednesday, just over 24 hours prior to the Game 7 puck drop. Marc Savard, who sprained his right knee in Game 6, said he probably would have missed two weeks had it been the regular season. A cross-check to the back in Game 1 broke two of Chuck Ko basew's ribs. Zdeno Chara played through shoulder, knee, and groin injuries. Milan Lucic brushed off a bruised toe.
The Bruins were already without Marco Sturm (knee) for the entire postseason and Matt Hunwick (spleen) for all but one playoff game.
"Every team has injuries," said general manager Peter Chiarelli. "But we seemed to have a few more than other teams. I have to hand it to the players for playing through those injuries."
Krejci played with the injury the entire season, collecting 22 goals and 51 assists for 73 points, second on the team behind Savard (88 points). Krejci's operation is scheduled for June 4 in New York. Dr. Bryan Kelly will perform the procedure, which will include shaving the hip bone. Krejci will be on crutches for three weeks.
"There wasn't one day that it didn't bother me this year," Krejci said. "Every day I woke up, every move I did, I knew there was something wrong. It wasn't too much fun.
"The only place I felt comfortable was on the ice. The trainers worked with me for every practice and before every game. It was the only place I felt comfortable."
Kessel, the team's leading goal scorer (36), hurt his left shoulder in the second period of a 2-0 loss to Columbus March 10 when Jan Hejda checked him into the boards. Kessel missed five regular-season games because of the injury.
He had 6 goals and 5 assists in 11 playoff games. Kessel will have surgery Thursday; recovery and rehab could keep him out until November.
"I knew it was bad the whole time," Kessel said. "But you've got to play through that stuff. You have the choice of having surgery or playing through it. I played through it and tried to help my team. We came up short."
Ference was originally hurt April 4 against the Rangers. He was supposed to miss six weeks but was back for Game 1 against Carolina on May 1, thanks to platelet-rich plasma therapy. The procedure involved drawing blood from his arm, then spinning it in a centrifuge to concentrate the plasma, which was then injected into his groin to speed up healing.
But after Carolina forward Scott Walker nailed him into the boards in Game 3, Ference suffered more damage to his groin as well as to his pelvis.
Ference will have to wait approximately one month for the groin tissue to heal before he has surgery. Ference, who also missed 31 games because of a fractured right tibia, is not expected to miss the start of next season.
While Ference is under contract for next season, Krejci and Kessel will be restricted free agents as of July 1. With Savard entering the final season of his four-year contract, it will be imperative for the Bruins to re-sign the 23-year-old Krejci, who could become an even more explosive playmaker given good health.
Kessel, 21, was in play at the trade deadline and at last year's draft. He could be trade bait again at next month's draft in Montreal, or the Bruins could extend him prior to July 1, but it's highly unlikely that they will allow either of the young studs to remain unsigned past then and be at risk for offer sheets. Both Krejci and Kessel said they would like to stay in Boston.
"It will be good if we can get some things done before the draft," Chiarelli said. "It's an uncertain future. When I'm talking about that, I'm talking about beyond this upcoming year.
"You have to be careful. But it would be good to sign some of these guys. I think they'd agree with me. Then there's draft preparation. The draft is always a time where we as GMs feel it's a good time to make trades because there are draft picks involved right there."
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. 
