Blues’ McDonald diagnosed with concussion
ANAHEIM, CALIF. – The Blues have placed left winger Andy
McDonald on injured-reserve with a concussion.
The concussion is McDonald’s second with the Blues in a span
of 10 months, and he had multiple concussions while with the
Anaheim Ducks earlier in his career.
The injury happened as time was expiring in the second period of
Thursday’s 3-2 loss in Dallas.
McDonald, 34, was near the boards and was bumped from behind by
Blues defensemen Nikita Nikitin. With McDonald
falling forward, a legal hit by the Stars’ Vernon
Fiddler met McDonald in the head. Blues forward
David Backes entered the scene attempting to
connect with the Stars’ Adam Burish, and the
combination of an inadvertent forearm from Backes and McDonald’s
stick pushed McDonald’s head back.
“He was dinged a couple of times there,” Blues coach
Davis Payne said.
After being cleared by doctors in the second intermission
Thursday, McDonald returned in the third against the Stars and
finished the game. He wasn’t feeling well Friday morning, however,
and returned to St. Louis Friday for a further evaluation, in which
a concussion was diagnosed.
McDonald, who is in the third year of a four-year contract with
the Blues, will be out indefinitely. He suffered a concussion last
December and missed 24 games over a two-month absence.
While the concussion issue is at the forefront for many NHL
teams these days, the Blues have been hit particularly hard. The
club had at least six concussions reported in 2010-11. It currently
has three players on IR with are dealing with concussion-related
injuries.
Forward David Perron has been out since last
November, but he rejoined the team in September and is working out
with the goal of returning to the ice soon. Defensemen
Carlo Colaiacovo suffered a concussion in the
Blues’ second game of the season and has not been cleared to
return.