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2011/2012 Injury Thread

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=374106 said:
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Jonas Hiller is cautiously confident he has kicked his vertigo. The Anaheim Ducks are really hoping he is correct.

The all-star goalie said Friday he is finally free of vertigo symptoms, and he expects to be ready for Anaheim's training camp next month. After spending more than two months away from the ice following the Ducks' season, Hiller has been working out daily back home in Switzerland with no problems.

"I wish I knew the future, but for right now, it's feeling better," Hiller said by phone from Switzerland.
 
Looks like Sid isn't going to be in training camp; might not even start the year
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110822/crosby-setback-injury-concussion-110822/
 
Now I read Crosby's agent is denying the report...

?Sidney hasn?t been shut down by anyone,? Pat Brisson of CAA Sports said Monday in a statement. ?He has simply adjusted his summer program.?



 
Tigger said:
Now I read Crosby's agent is denying the report...

?Sidney hasn?t been shut down by anyone,? Pat Brisson of CAA Sports said Monday in a statement. ?He has simply adjusted his summer program.?

I dunno. Starting to sound a little suspicious to me. Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. His agent has to put the best possible spin on the story - that's part of his job. Really starting to feel Sid won't be ready for the start of the season.
 
It's a pretty sturdy denial but I had some hackles go up when I read it too, hard to say either way but there is a lot of smoke.
 
Busta Reims said:
Tigger said:
Now I read Crosby's agent is denying the report...

?Sidney hasn?t been shut down by anyone,? Pat Brisson of CAA Sports said Monday in a statement. ?He has simply adjusted his summer program.?

I dunno. Starting to sound a little suspicious to me. Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. His agent has to put the best possible spin on the story - that's part of his job. Really starting to feel Sid won't be ready for the start of the season.

I think after all this time off and with training camp so close to starting, if Crosby was going to be ready for the start of the season (or at least ready to go for training camp) there would have been a definite announcement about it by now.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
I think after all this time off and with training camp so close to starting, if Crosby was going to be ready for the start of the season (or at least ready to go for training camp) there would have been a definite announcement about it by now.

Hard to tell since they have been pretty quiet throughout the entire period since the injury. I just hope he's able to come back - I liked how he was starting to mature on top of the obvious skill level. It would be a shame if he could not play any longer.
 
Bylsma says Crosby's status not a concern -- yet
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=587044&print=true
"Especially in the summertime, I try not to get involved in this type of, 'How are you feeling' conversation," Bylsma told NHL.com from the NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp, where he's serving as a coach. "There are things I would normally talk about with Sid and those are the captain's stuff like scheduling with the team. If I was to talk to him now, I wouldn't say, 'How do you feel today?' I would say, 'Where are you now?' I would ask, 'When are you coming to Pittsburgh?' I would ask, 'How many fish did you catch up in Nova Scotia?' "

That struck me as a weird response last week. Arguably, he's the best player in the league and the coach's franchise player is going through a pretty serious concussion, but the coach doesn't inquire about his health status? Too strange -  particularly in the wake of so many media inquires about his health during the summer.

The fact that they can't just come out and simply say "He's fine. 100%. He will be ready to start the season." suggests something is up and that he's not 100%.

Hopefully, he's close.
 
Scot4bz said:
CarltonTheBear said:
I think after all this time off and with training camp so close to starting, if Crosby was going to be ready for the start of the season (or at least ready to go for training camp) there would have been a definite announcement about it by now.

Hard to tell since they have been pretty quiet throughout the entire period since the injury. I just hope he's able to come back - I liked how he was starting to mature on top of the obvious skill level. It would be a shame if he could not play any longer.
I was thinking the same, just when he was really starting to mature, and become easier to watch when he wasn't complaining all the time this happens. Hopefully it is not the end of him in the NHL, he has a lot of talent that is enjoyable to watch.
 
Tigger said:
Wow, that sounds pretty serious, I wonder what steps the NHL would take if he never played again.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/article/1043394--kelly-why-sidney-crosby-should-retire-now

Here's an article suggesting he should retire.  And he's not the first person to suggest it.  But am I the only one who thinks it's a tad premature for him to take that drastic measure?  He is *only* 24 after all, and if he needs to take another full year or two away from the game to "heal", he'd still only be entering his prime when he'd be ready to resume his career.  I'd also think it'd be hard for Sid to give up the career he's worked so hard to get since he was a little kid before it really even started.

Beyond that though, this is becoming an extremely concerning issue.  We saw a potential top 5/10 player of all-time in Lindros have his career cut short and unable to fully realize his potential, and the same may be happening with Crosby.  But these players have lives to live beyond hockey so you really don't want to see that compromised.  It's quite scary hearing what someone such as Keith Primeau went through and is still going through in his every day life.
 
Peter D. said:
Tigger said:
Wow, that sounds pretty serious, I wonder what steps the NHL would take if he never played again.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/article/1043394--kelly-why-sidney-crosby-should-retire-now

Here's an article suggesting he should retire.  And he's not the first person to suggest it.  But am I the only one who thinks it's a tad premature for him to take that drastic measure?  He is *only* 24 after all, and if he needs to take another full year or two away from the game to "heal", he'd still only be entering his prime when he'd be ready to resume his career.  I'd also think it'd be hard for Sid to give up the career he's worked so hard to get since he was a little kid before it really even started.

Beyond that though, this is becoming an extremely concerning issue.  We saw a potential top 5/10 player of all-time in Lindros have his career cut short and unable to fully realize his potential, and the same may be happening with Crosby.  But these players have lives to live beyond hockey so you really don't want to see that compromised.  It's quite scary hearing what someone such as Keith Primeau went through and is still going through in his every day life.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.  Taking an extra year off for Crosby may be the best solution.  Way better to be safe than sorry, imo.
 
Peter D. said:
Tigger said:
Wow, that sounds pretty serious, I wonder what steps the NHL would take if he never played again.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/article/1043394--kelly-why-sidney-crosby-should-retire-now

Here's an article suggesting he should retire.  And he's not the first person to suggest it.  But am I the only one who thinks it's a tad premature for him to take that drastic measure? 

No.

Having said that, it's all speculation. Nobody in the media has spoken with his concussion specialist doctor to know what his condition really is. And nobody that has spoken with that doctor has passed much on. Normally, a severe concussion involves losing consciousness which I don't recall in Crosby's case so there's a reasonable chance that they're just being very cautious with the increased medical knowledge about concussions. But the only one who can really make that call is a concussion specialist - not a speculating sports reporter.

In Lombardi's case, where he's had two major ones and hasn't fully recovered yet from the second, if I were his Dad, I'd probably be begging him to hang them up. Without the benefit of hearing from his doctor, and therefore at risk of some hypocrisy, I've seen and heard enough to conclude he is much more vulnerable to a serious concussion injury should he resume his career. He may be doing just that and going through the motions trying to recover so he can collect his salary (if he doesn't try, that could give them an out).
 
Story of a guy who probably stayed one concussion too long:
http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/article/1043408--scatchard-the-latest-casualty-in-nhl-s-concussion-era
 
I read that story about Scatchard yesterday but was trying to digest it before commenting, glad to see the doctors reeled him in, finally, but he'll never be the same.

It makes me wonder about Lombardi, wouldn't there be a similar conclusion from his doctors if his risk was really that high?
 
Peter D. said:
Tigger said:
Wow, that sounds pretty serious, I wonder what steps the NHL would take if he never played again.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/article/1043394--kelly-why-sidney-crosby-should-retire-now

Here's an article suggesting he should retire.  And he's not the first person to suggest it.  But am I the only one who thinks it's a tad premature for him to take that drastic measure?  He is *only* 24 after all, and if he needs to take another full year or two away from the game to "heal", he'd still only be entering his prime when he'd be ready to resume his career.  I'd also think it'd be hard for Sid to give up the career he's worked so hard to get since he was a little kid before it really even started.

Beyond that though, this is becoming an extremely concerning issue.  We saw a potential top 5/10 player of all-time in Lindros have his career cut short and unable to fully realize his potential, and the same may be happening with Crosby.  But these players have lives to live beyond hockey so you really don't want to see that compromised.  It's quite scary hearing what someone such as Keith Primeau went through and is still going through in his every day life.

I agree it seems a bit much but when balancing the future out with the present I can see why some might come to that conclusion though I doubt Crosby shares that view.
 
Tigger said:
I read that story about Scatchard yesterday but was trying to digest it before commenting, glad to see the doctors reeled him in, finally, but he'll never be the same.

It makes me wonder about Lombardi, wouldn't there be a similar conclusion from his doctors if his risk was really that high?

Keith Primeau was interviewed last March. Five years after the fact, he's still experiencing symptoms. What worries him is as he gets older is how severe things like dementia/mental issues will be as his brain function declines with age.

Life expectancy in the 70s for the helmetless  NHLers was around 72. Now it's 82 or so. When Lombardi reaches that age, it'll probably be 92. Brain function for those extra 20 years is more likely to get tested more as folks live longer. Of all the organs in the body doctors least understand and have the fewest medical options for, improvements in/treatments for recovery from brain injuries is still pretty discouraging.

And maybe Lombardi gets unlikely like Jack Layton and dies of natural causes long before it becomes an issue he'd need to worry about if he's ok living with symptoms like Keith Primeau until then.

That's a part of what Lombardi and his family have to consider. Not a lot of fun to think about. It's really hard for me to imagine any doctor saying "Go for it, Lombardi! No problem! You're cleared to play without any medical reservations."
 
Hopefully the NHL can make some adjustments equiptment, fines and suspensions etc that will reduce not only the number of concussions but the severity as well.
 
cw said:
...That's a part of what Lombardi and his family have to consider. Not a lot of fun to think about. It's really hard for me to imagine any doctor saying "Go for it, Lombardi! No problem! You're cleared to play without any medical reservations."

I remember when Lafontaine went out, everyone was worried for him and sure enough he ran into a team mate and that was it after much debate about whether he should have ever played again as an Islander. He seems ok now but has some stories to tell too. Kariya is another one that comes to mind.

Lombardi is young so I can see why a doctor could take a wait and see approach but I can't imagine him being cleared any time soon if ever. Belak said he couldn't even really hit the bike at the end of last year, if the risk is that high I hope he hangs them up ( well, after he gets paid ;) ). I don't think Crosby's situation is as severe from what I gather but there it is.
 

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