Q&A: Bradley hockey player returns from injury to have a successful season
Forward Tommy Davis talks about his journey back from injury and his stellar Bradley hockey career.
The Bradley hockey team has been around for 36 years and has hundreds of alumni who played 4-5 seasons as a Brave. But Tommy Davis almost saw his promising career end before it even started.
Tommy Davis, a junior forward from Homer Glen, Illinois, has led the team in points for the past two seasons with 72 points in 42 games.
However, in January of 2022, Davis injured his shoulder and would be out for the rest of the season and not return until November of that year. Tommy missed his first opportunity to play in the MACHA Gold playoffs where the team fell to Iowa State in the final and a regionals game that would end in heartbreak in overtime against Illinois State.
Davis met with me recently to discuss playing college hockey, his injury that left him out for 8 months, and his thoughts after returning this season and looking toward next season.
What does it mean to you to play college hockey at Bradley?
For me personally, it means the world to me. For Bradley to let me keep playing my dream of hockey and get the education at the same time, I can’t even describe it. Also, the lifelong friendships I have made here are people who will be with me for the rest of my life, so there is nothing I can give back to Bradley for giving me this opportunity.
What has been your favorite hockey memory at Bradley?
So far in my two years of playing here, it’s gotta be Breast Cancer Awareness Night. To see my group of teammates and then obviously the fans and the community of Peoria come together for such a great cause, it indented that into my mind, and obviously again the “Michigan” during that weekend on top of it was something I will never forget.
What went through your mind when you sustained your injury at the end of the 2021-22 season?
For starters, I wanted to make sure I was okay. My left shoulder obviously was not in the correct position and I got to the hospital and just wanted to make sure I was able to play again. Obviously, I wasn’t able to play for the rest of that season even though I tried. I wanted to make sure I had a timetable and luckily for me it wasn’t career ending which was very promising to hear but I had a long road of recovery ahead of me.
How did it feel getting back on the ice after months away from hockey?
Obviously, it felt different but just trying to get better and practicing you gotta do the same thing when you come back recovering from an injury. The more you practice, the more you feel. I’ve been playing hockey since I was 2 years old so lot of muscle memory there and wasn’t that hard to get back on the ice but it definitely was not no walk in the park for me. I am very happy and pleased on the way I was able to return and how I am doing this season.
What accolades are you looking to complete before you graduate?
Obviously, I want that championship. Whichever way shape or form it comes. I feel like those personal accolades that I’m after will definitely come if we get a championship so nothing personally for me right now but as a team I want us to get a championship in whatever way that means.