BOSTON -- He was dressed in all black. He was pale. He spoke softly. He was genuine. He was serious.

But mostly, Bruins forward Marc Savard is still concussed, and he's not happy about the likely season-ending hit he received by the Penguins' Matt Cooke on March 7 in Pittsburgh that resulted in a Grade 2 concussion.

Cooke was not penalized or suspended for his elbow to the head.

Marc Savard talks about his head injury on Saturday before the Bruins' game against the Flames. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

"Well, I have obviously viewed it a couple of times and I think it was a play that didn't need to happen, obviously," said Savard Saturday morning at TD Garden. "To me it wasn't a shoulder and I watched the [Mike] Richards on [David] Booth hit. I think that was a shoulder. I think mine was more of an elbow, so I think there was an attempt to injure there. I was, obviously, very unhappy with what happened and I think it could have been avoided very easily."

He said he has no recollection of the hit.

Since the incident in Pittsburgh, the Penguins have played in Boston and Cooke has expressed his apologies and regrets for the hit and said he had no intent to injure Savard. Cooke has even tried to contact Savard.

"Yeah, he has tried and he has tried to get my phone number and stuff like that," said Savard. "But from what happened I really don't, right at the moment, have any interest in talking to him and that's just how I feel. Maybe down the road, but right now, I am not feeling any better so I would rather just not talk to him."

Cooke, speaking after Pittsburgh's 4-1 win over Philadelphia on Saturday, denied the hit was intentional.

"I have to thank my wife, my kids and the Penguins for sticking by me through this. It's hard on them because they know those comments aren't true," Cooke said.

It's clear Savard isn't feeling well. He said he's been having trouble sleeping, is unusually irritable, and that he battles frequent headaches. As much as he would like to return to the ice, especially with the Bruins fighting for a postseason berth, it's unlikely he will be able to play this season.

"I just want to get well. Obviously I'd like to get back and help my team, especially on the power play," he said with a smile and an elbow nudge to general manager Peter Chiarelli, who was sitting next to him during the news conference. "I'm not looking at it right now like that. I just want to get healthy. I'm getting the fresh air, I'm doing the walking and stuff, but I need a couple clear days I guess before I can think about getting on a bike and stuff like that. So right now, I'm just getting better and taking it day by day."

He's had the lingering effects of someone who has suffered a concussion, including some good and some bad days, and he's been trying to keep up with his teammates as much as possible.

"Obviously I miss playing hockey and miss being with my buddies, so hopefully that happens soon," he said.

When the hit occurred, the Bruins were publicly criticized for their lack of retaliation on Cooke. Even hockey personnel within the organization weren't happy. When the Penguins came to Boston on March 18, Bruins pugilist Shawn Thornton dropped the gloves with Cooke on their first shift. Boston lost 3-0.

Savard said he was happy with the response by Thornton, but not the team's position in the standings.