Since winning the Stanley Cup, Bruins forward Nathan Horton has had the shortest offseason of his career by a large margin. Used to having his offseason begin in early April, the former Panther has had to cram a recovery from two injuries and plenty of celebration into less than three months. It’s almost over now, but Horton can’t complain -- not that he usually does.  

The 26-year-old is back in Boston, and the news is very good. Speaking at Milan Lucic’s softball game in Lowell Wednesday, Horton said that he is feeling “great,” which is excellent news for a player coming off a concussion and a separated shoulder. While Horton, who has rarely been spotted without an ear-to-ear smile, would probably say he was feeling great regardless of physical injury, Bruins fans can relax knowing the winger will be ready for camp and has a clean bill of health. 

“I don't have any headaches,” Horton said. “I feel back to normal, and I'm excited to finally start playing again.”

Horton has not skated yet, but it’s normal for players to focus their offseasons on working out as opposed to taking to the ice. The most important thing is that he’s working out, something he would not be doing if symptoms of his head injury had persisted.

Now, there is nothing left for Horton to do but prepare for his second season as a Bruin. His offseason hasn’t been all recovery and working out, as his day with the Stanley Cup this summer was an infamous day in the trophy’s history. The Cup keeper was late to Logan Airport, meaning that when Horton went to Buffalo to pick it up, there was nothing there.

“Well, I went to the airport to pick it up, and it just didn't come on the plane,” Horton said. “I had to go back [to Ontario] for the parade, and I was late for the parade, and it was really hot that day, so I felt extra bad. I was speeding on my way home to get back, because I was late. But once I got back, everyone was awesome and it didn't matter that I didn't have the Cup, but luckily it did come, so everyone got to see it and take pictures with it.” 

While Horton was all smiles as he remembered his day with the Cup and assured the media of his health, he is certainly taking a more serious tone these days regarding hits like the one he took from Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome.

Since coming to Boston last season, Horton has not been outspoken on any topic except how much he likes the city and the Bruins. Aside from that, he’s been quiet, deflecting off-ice attention by never going out of his way to push his opinion. Perhaps being a victim of a dirty hit has changed that, as he expressed his displeasure with both cheap shots and the lack of a formal apology from Rome. 

“There's guys that hit out there and they hit lots, they hit hard, they hurt people and I think that they do it within the game,” Horton said. “You just know, and I think you just have that respect factor to know when to hit people. The people that don't understand that or don't get it, I think that's what you need to fix and what you need to change. There's a difference between hitting hard and hitting dirty. That's definitely something that shouldn't be in the game.”

Then came the jab at Rome, who received a four-game suspension for his hit. Horton said that the Vancouver defenseman reached out to him, but the Bruin was not impressed by the fashion in which it was done.

“Just through a text message I heard [from him], but I mean, if it was me, I wouldn't be throwing a text message someone's way, you know?” Horton said. “I'd have a little more respect to actually make a phone call.” 

While the winger admitted he hasn’t totally been keeping up with the reports on Penguins center Sidney Crosby, who is trying to come back from a concussion, he can look at the star center’s case and consider himself lucky.

“Real lucky,” Horton said. “Concussions are not fun, and to have a bad one, it's tough. I'm fortunate to feel pretty good and to not have any setbacks.”

Now that he’s healthy and a Cup champion, Horton can go about trying to improve upon his 26 goals last regular season. His career high is 31, and many expected him to surpass that total in a Bruins uniform. He will likely begin the season back on his familiar line with Lucic and David Krejci, but the most important thing for Horton is for his team to experience the same result this year. Just as he says he’d be ready for training camp if it started “right now,” he’s also ready to defend the Cup.

“That's what we want, that's why we're here,” Horton said, “and it's definitely going to be tough that we're on top right now and it's tough to stay there. I think everyone knows that, and everyone's prepared to play well like we did.”