2011/2012 Injury Thread

[cw]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_753058.html
Lemieux, speaking at the team's alumni golf tournament at Valley Brook Country Club in McMurray, said he talked with Crosby by phone two weeks ago.

"I'm sure he's doing well," Lemieux said.

Bylsma, who talked with Crosby within the past week, said the Penguins are "hoping for Sidney to come back in and be ready to go for camp."

Bylsma added that Crosby continues to work out, "probably more than he has the past three summers," though Bylsma said he was unsure if Crosby is currently skating. Bylsma said he believed Crosby was not in his native Halifax, Nova Scotia. Crosby was known to have made a business trip to Toronto in the past few days.

"I can't wave a wand and tell you exactly how it's going to play out," Bylsma said. "He's worked hard. He's worked harder in some areas than he has in the past. I know he's active."

Bylsma was asked if he was surprised by reports out of Canada that make definitive statements about Crosby's condition, given that concussions are unpredictable from minute to minute, never mind month to month.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Bylsma said. "You take a small snippet of information and try to make it into something. It's happened more than once.

"Sidney's progressed nicely this summer. He's had a long summer. He's worked out. If Sidney goes down the street to change his [training] location, that leads to speculation."

It doesn't sound that bad. But it isn't a clear cut "he'll be ready to start the season" either.

 

[L K]

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.

Unless Cathal Kelly has a secret Neurology fellowship under his belt, he should stick to sports reporting.  I certainly understand the concern for Crosby's well being, but the reality is that all of this "he'll be fine"/"he needs to retire to think of his future" talk is taken from an entirely uneducated perspective.  No-one is there performing the neurological assessments on Crosby and his physicians would be bordering on malpractice if they were feeding him false information regarding his current scenario if he was experiencing significant symptoms.

The reality of any head injuries is that they are poorly understood (even with the advances that have been made in the PET/MRI-era).  Crosby could come back and play 15 years without issue, or a simple bump (not too dissimilar from the last one) could end his career and have a long-term affect on his life.  I still think the bigger issue with Crosby is that he clearly looked out of it after the head injury in the Winter Classic game, and he didn't take time off at that point.

 

[Deebo]

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.

Unless Cathal Kelly has a secret Neurology fellowship under his belt, he should stick to sports reporting.  I certainly understand the concern for Crosby's well being, but the reality is that all of this "he'll be fine"/"he needs to retire to think of his future" talk is taken from an entirely uneducated perspective.  No-one is there performing the neurological assessments on Crosby and his physicians would be bordering on malpractice if they were feeding him false information regarding his current scenario if he was experiencing significant symptoms.

The reality of any head injuries is that they are poorly understood (even with the advances that have been made in the PET/MRI-era).  Crosby could come back and play 15 years without issue, or a simple bump (not too dissimilar from the last one) could end his career and have a long-term affect on his life.  I still think the bigger issue with Crosby is that he clearly looked out of it after the head injury in the Winter Classic game, and he didn't take time off at that point.

I agree, unqualified medical opinion is among my pet peeves in the sports world.

I remember when Kessel joined the team after his injury and all the "experts" in the sports media were talking about how the Leafs were rushing him back because of the losing streak. They said the leafs didn't give him enough time and that he was at risk to re-injure himself.

He hasn't missed one game since and no one talks about his injury anymore. If he did hurt the same shoulder, we'd hear a whole bunch of media types saying "I told you so".

 

[cw]

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=587349
The latest steps in Sidney Crosby's recovery from a concussion have been visits to leading specialists around the country to monitor his progress.

Their conclusion is that he will make a full recovery ? it just takes time.
...
"We always knew this was going to be a progressive recovery ? based on how he felt," said Pat Brisson, Crosby's agent. "With a concussion, there is not a finite recovery period like with a shoulder injury or a knee injury. That's why we've never even set a specific goal for a return date like the start of training camp or Oct. 1 or anything else. He will play when he is symptom free."

Crosby, who suffered a concussion in January and missed the rest of the 2010-11 season, made significant progress over the summer and took part in his normal, rigorous off-season workout program ? including skating, shooting, stickhandling and off-ice work.

When he got to 90 percent exertion in his workouts, however, he started having some headaches again. At that point, his doctors and trainers altered his workouts accordingly.

He recently has visited specialists in Michigan and Georgia.

"We've had him see leading specialists because we want to make sure he gets the best care possible," Brisson said. "The Penguins always encourage their players to get second and third medical opinions and have been very supportive of this. And we've been talking to Ray Shero every step of the way."

The Penguins open training camp on Sept. 16 and play their first regular-season game on Oct. 6, but Brisson said Crosby's return won't be dictated by dates or games. He will play whenever he is ready ? whatever that date may be.

"We would appreciate patience and understanding at this time," Brisson said. "There has been a lot of speculation swirling over the past several weeks. We wish we could provide more specific details about Sidney's recovery, but a concussion is a different kind of injury. It's not something you can check with an x-ray. And you can't predict a precise recovery period. It's all about the way he feels.

Something more definitive with some substance - even though they can't predict his return.

The good news is that he'll return - probably fairly soon though not necessarily to start the season. The bad news is that it further confirms a substantial concussion that leaves him more susceptible to a concussion in the future and may leave him one good hit away from retirement.

 

[Scot4bz]

It's being handled very well by all involved - no pressure to return and Crosby's best interests being at the forefront. I can't even imagine how frustrating this is to Crosby (or any athlete that suffers similarly).

 

[CarltonTheBear]

It's being handled very well by all involved - no pressure to return and Crosby's best interests being at the forefront. I can't even imagine how frustrating this is to Crosby (or any athlete that suffers similarly).

Ignoring the whole thing where they allowed him to play in his very next game after the Winter Classic which lead to his second concussion.

 

[Scot4bz]

It's being handled very well by all involved - no pressure to return and Crosby's best interests being at the forefront. I can't even imagine how frustrating this is to Crosby (or any athlete that suffers similarly).

Ignoring the whole thing where they allowed him to play in his very next game after the Winter Classic which lead to his second concussion.

Maybe so, and hindsight is 20/20 - but I was referring to current state. Maybe he never should have been in his situation at all - but I still think they are doing the right thing now. (better late than never.....but probably poorly articulated in my initial post) 

 

[cw]

Savard's Concussion History
http://forecaster.faceoff.com/faceoff/hockey/player.cgi?204&showAllMoves=1
1/11/2001 Missed 3 games (concussion)

4/14/2002 Missed the last 10 games of the regular season (concussion). Resumed play to start the following 2002-03 season.

1/14/2004 Missed 3 games (mild concussion)

3/08/2010 Concussion, sidelined indefinitely from Cooke hit (missed last 18 games of season)

1/24/2011 Concussion, sidelined indefinitely (missed 23 games, played 25 games, missed last 34 games - largely due to Cooke hit)

Total concussions: 5 (all fairly 'mild' in games lost until Cooke hit)
Regular season games lost to concussions before retiring: 91

Very probably career over:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=374868
"Based on what I see, what I hear, what I read, and what I'm told, it's very unlikely Marc will play again," Chiarelli said.

Sad. Under the new rules, he was a talent to watch.

 

[Scot4bz]

Not totally unexpected, but still not good news. Hopefully he does not have too many day to day effects - hockey aside.

 

[bustaheims]

Crosby to be placed on IR to start the season - so, based on Pittsburgh's schedule, he'll miss at least the first 4 games of the season.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Marc Staal may be out a month because of post-concussion symptoms.

And the tough thing for his family - brother Eric is the one who caused the concussion last season.

 

[Moot Point]

Michael Cammalleri is out two months with a laceration to his leg. 

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Michael Cammalleri is out two months with a laceration to his leg.

I guess the Canadiens twitter feed was a little premature...

CanadiensMTL Montreal Canadiens
Cammalleri (lower body) and Spacek (upper body) won't be back tonight. Nothing serious for both players.

EDIT:  Also, where did you read 2 months?  I'm seeing 2 weeks on Twitter.

 

[Moot Point]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/icechips/
Sound like a serious cut.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/icechips/
Sound like a serious cut.

And this article says 2 weeks:  http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=377775

Cammalleri quickly skated to the Canadiens' bench and then began asking the refs to stop play so he could be rushed to the dressing room. It is believed he will miss two weeks with the injury.

Someone has a typo (or incorrect info) on TSN.ca.

 

[Moot Point]

I guess it's a wait and see situation.  Didn't think Phaneuf was going to be out for very long last season after his leg was cut.
Any chance Montreal looks at signing McCabe with Spacek out.

 

[bustaheims]

. . . and, the award for Least Surprising Long-Term Injury goes to . . .

StapeNewsday: BREAKING NEWS: #Isles G Rick DiPietro out indefinitely with a concussion. More in a bit.

 

[Erndog]

. . . and, the award for Least Surprising Long-Term Injury goes to . . .

StapeNewsday: BREAKING NEWS: #Isles G Rick DiPietro out indefinitely with a concussion. More in a bit.

That is incredible.

Took a slapshot to the head from Rolston.

Only 9 more years at $4.5M!  (I'm sure there will eventually be a buyout down the road somewhere)

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

. . . and, the award for Least Surprising Long-Term Injury goes to . . .

StapeNewsday: BREAKING NEWS: #Isles G Rick DiPietro out indefinitely with a concussion. More in a bit.

That is incredible.

Took a slapshot to the head from Rolston.

Only 9 more years at $4.5M!  (I'm sure there will eventually be a buyout down the road somewhere)

He'll be on the books even longer then.

 

[bustaheims]

That is incredible.

Took a slapshot to the head from Rolston.

Only 9 more years at $4.5M!  (I'm sure there will eventually be a buyout down the road somewhere)

Maybe, but, you can't buy out an injured player, so, maybe not.