AHL- Apolyton Hockey League 07/08: V Blades of Glory

[notyoueither]

How long was he out after that?

[Asher]

Only a couple games. I don't think he's fully recovered.

[notyoueither]

That's bad news.

Does anyone around the NHL pay any attention to the health of their players?

[Asher]

Doesn't look like it.

I'm starting to dread every time Calgary plays Vancouver. Every game so far this year, a dirty play by Vancouver has injured a Flame.

[notyoueither]

I saw this last week. I thought about Stoll and the problems he's having coming back after being concussed twice last year.

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/mckenzie/?id=222954

Blog: Issues with Flyers and concussions
11/15/2007

It is fascinating to read the comments of Philadelphia Flyer GM Paul Holmgren on how the team has handled the concussion and related symptoms for Flyer forward Simon Gagne.

By his own admission, Holmgren, a guy I like to think of as a straight shooter, said he has "minimal" knowledge on the subject of concussions. Fair enough. He's not alone in that regard, although one would think any individual who ultimately oversees the assets known as players in the NHL might want to get up to speed on this issue that is at the forefront of so much now in the league.

But you would think an organization that has had to deal with Eric Lindros and Keith Primeau and their serious issues vis a vis post-concussion syndrome would have no shortage of other people eminently qualified and entirely well versed on concussion management and what is the best and/or most prudent manner to deal with them. And the Gagne case certainly raises this issue for discussion.

Here's the history.

On Oct. 24 vs. Florida, Gagne took a blow to the head and in the wake of that complained of symptoms that are often associated with concussions. The Flyers, though, weren't prepared to say it was a concussion. In any case, Gagne professed to not feeling himself, not feeling quite right. After an 11-day absence, though, he returned to the lineup to play the New York Rangers on Nov. 5. On Nov. 7, he suited up and played against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now, the Flyers say Gagne returned to play only after he was symptom free, both at rest and during exercise, and on that, I suppose we have no choice but to take their word for it.

But quotes attributed to Gagne in the day or so leading up to his return, and right after the Ranger game, still suggested he didn't feel quite 100 per cent. I remember noting that, thinking this looked like a classic case of a player rushing back to the lineup too quickly after being concussed.

Whatever.

The bottom line is that Gagne was hit by Gary Roberts in the Pittsburgh game and hasn't felt good since then. The Flyers are now reporting Gagne as concussed and say they will wait as long as it takes before re-inserting him into the lineup.

Well, if they had followed the actual protocol for head injuries, they might not be in this situation.

My Mom, may she rest in peace, was a practical woman. One of her favorite sayings was, "penny wise, pound foolish." Which is to say there's no point pinching a penny here or there if you're going to go out and blow your paycheck frivolously. Yes, it's all well and good to focus on the short term or details but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense if in the long term you are acting foolishly on much bigger issues. You could say it means, short term gain for long term pain.

And that pretty much sums up the concussion management approach of many teams in the NHL.

Don't call it a concussion, don't follow the normal guidelines or protocol that could keep a player out a week longer than if the team cuts corners and do risk the player suffering further brain trauma that in all likelihood is going to be more serious than the original injury. In other words, get the player back in the lineup as quickly as possible and miss as few games as possible so he can quite possibly miss a really extended period of time down the road.

Now, there is a plan.

Again, not knowing the precise ins and outs of the specific Gagne case, I'm only saying that many NHL teams engage in this practice. We see it all the time.

There was a big deal made of the fact that Gagne was out 11 days from the original injury, which was beyond the "seven-day rule" that so many people seem to talk about.

But the seven-day rule, if you want to call it that, isn't seven days from when the original incident took place. It is seven days from the first day the player has no symptoms at all. So if Gagne woke up the day before the Pittsburgh game and reported no symptoms whatsoever after pumping up his heart rate, as he would in a practice or a game, it should, technically, be another week until he's put back into a game situation.

Amid all the baseline testing and neuro-psych testing that exists now, the real litmus test for a return to health is still how the player feels, especially how he feels when his heart begins to pound as a result of exertion. If baseline testing is normal, if neuro-psych is normal, but the player can't ride a bike hard or do heavy resistance training without symptoms, then that player is still concussed in spite of whatever the tests may say.

There is much mystery surrounding brain injuries, but the player usually knows the score. He knows if he's not quite right. He knows when he is. So when he finally does feel right, if he waits another seven days, that extra week is the safety buffer to be absolutely sure the brain is no longer bruised.

But in the NHL, time is money. It's a macho sport. The sooner you can come back, the better for all. Except of course if you're not really better and the first hit you take puts you back on the shelf and for a lot longer than the extra seven days would have been.

You can‘t play through a concussion. Ask Keith Primeau. Ask Simon Gagne.

Who knows how long Gagne will be out, but it's already been eight days and counting since he last played in the Pittsburgh game. So you tell me, what makes more sense for NHL teams and athletes: play a game when you might be okay and risk long-term injury or wait an extra week to be as sure as you can be before returning to play?

Now that Eric Lindros is working for the NHLPA and there's a new executive director, Paul Kelly, the time has never been more right for the players' union to make concussion management a front-burner issue. To his credit, Bob Goodenow did that at times during his tenure but ultimately economic well being of the players somehow managed to trump their health and welfare.

Lindros and Primeau would be wonderful spokesmen on this subject. They could go team to team and preach to their hockey-playing brethren the dangers of returning from concussions too early; they could stress the importance of observing the real seven-day rule and just foolish the macho approach is. Maybe players would listen to other players, players who can tell them what it's like to experience the loss of a career to say nothing of the serious medical issues they have to deal with.

I am not suggesting teams are pressuring concussed players back into action too soon, although that obviously happens in some cases. In most cases, teams don't have to – the players will do it of their own volition, because that's how they're wired.

Based on his comments, Gagne is as in the dark about concussion stuff as Holmgren admits to. And that's too bad, because it's Gagne's career and health on the line now. It's up to players to take greater responsibility for their own well being.

If anyone wants to write off this writing as words of a bleeding heart, go right ahead. But ask Keith Primeau how coming back too soon and trying to play through concussions worked for him, both in terms of his career and his overall health?

I've said it before; I'll say it again: we don't even know the half of it when it comes to this stuff. It's quite possible there are going to be some pretty heinous long-term health issues for players who suffered multiple brain traumas and tried to play through. Everything from Alzehimer's to depression to Parkinson's. Terrible, terrible stuff.

Why NHL teams, or players, would risk all of the above for the sake of a simple, legitimate seven-day waiting period is beyond me. The human toll aside, I couldn't imagine a business doing a worse job of asset management than that.

There may be another reason why NHL teams don't like to admit a player is concussed. Insurance issues.

There is a player in the league who just recently signed a long-term, multi-million dollar deal with a team. Many years. Big money. And the contract, in the event of a concussion injury, is un-insurable. That's because the player suffered one concussion in the minors and one in junior hockey. Neither were all that serious – a handful of games missed each time – and the player hasn't been concussed in more than three years.

But the insurance company won't insure the new contract for any injury related to concussion.

Owners' exposure on uninsured contracts is only going to escalate. If the long-term health and welfare of the players isn't enough to vault this issue to the forefront, then perhaps the economic impact will.

Or maybe this is just one lone voice in the wildnerness, never to be heard.

Well, all I know is this: the Philadelphia Flyers are without one of their very best players for who knows how long and based on my knowledge of concussions, which is well below expert (medical) but well above Holmgren's minimal, it maybe didn't have to be that way, not if the legitimate seven-day rule was followed. That is, no playing until seven days after a player is completely symptom free.

The seven-day rule is not foolproof, it's not infallible, some players are just destined to be injured in this manner and that goes without saying.

But to ignore it, or worst, not be aware of it, well, there's only one thing left to say, right Mom?

Penny wise, pound foolish, indeed.


Posted: 6:34 PM by Bob McKenzie

[Asher]

Holy hell. The last 4 goals against for the Flames were all shorthanded. That's insane.

[b etor]

pens

[snoopy369]

So the way to beat the Flames is to take penalties constantly

[Asher]

I think NHL.com made a mistake.

The goals are now listed as EV tonight.

[Asher]

**** is going down in Toronto.

Sportsnet is reporting that Ferguson tried to fire Maurice, but was blocked by ownership. He's supposedly on the way out (finally).

[Kontiki]

They both need to go.

[Asher]

I'm also shocked there's been no chatter about how Phaneuf started as LW for Saturday's 5-2 win over Colorado...

Only reason he moved back to D was Warrener's broken leg.

[Asher]

I can die a happy man now:


http://view.break.com/406418 - Watch more free videos

Dion Phaneuf singing Journey with air guitar.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Asher
I'm also shocked there's been no chatter about how Phaneuf started as LW for Saturday's 5-2 win over Colorado...

Only reason he moved back to D was Warrener's broken leg.

I am not surprised that they might try him up there. The Flames lack a big bruiser of a winger to go in front of the net be aggressive on the opposing d-man-- I have cited that lack a few times and unfortunately Phaneuf is the player they have that is best suited to the role.


I still think the Flames need a big hitting winger-- Phaneuf going up is a stopgap measure IMHO

[Asher]

Another Philly/Boston game, another dirty hit by Philly: