Flyers’ Giroux Appears to Be Making Post-Concussion Progress: Fan Opinion
Claude Giroux received a concussion when he was hit in the head by teammate Wayne Simmonds’ knee during a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning last weekend.
The National Hockey League’s leading scorer skated this weekend with his team as they prepared to play the Colorado Avalanche on December 19.
Has Philadelphia’s best player gone back to the ice too soon?
And then there’s Claude
The Flyers recently announced that they had lost their captain Chris Pronger for the season due to the effects of a concussion. So, when their brightest young star also suffered a concussion everyone knew that the team would take all needed precautions to ensure that he could fully recuperate before playing again.
I saw Giroux during this weekend’s home game against the Boston Bruins and he looked like he was doing well when I passed by him.
In consideration of the fact Chris Pronger hadn’t been ‘out and about’ during games after his recent head injuries, it could be concluded that Giroux’s injury isn’t as serious. Each person responds differently to each individual head injury, so this is purely speculative.
Timetable?
The Ontario native, who will turn 25 in January, has the age factor working to his advantage. He also has no documented history of a series of concussions, having only had one other in his career.
While no timetable comes with a guarantee, the Flyers will have to balance what a hungry young player tells them in addition to what medical testing reveals as the next few weeks plays out.
Professional sports is clearly in the discovery stages regarding this entire concussion issue, as there are developing protocols regarding diagnosis, initial treatment, therapy and recovery procedures.
Unanswered questions
Does a concussion create a scar that never truly heals? Does the affected area become permanently weakened, leaving the injured person increasingly susceptible to other concussions?
Another question, that has no simple solution, involves realistic ‘repairs’ that can be made to areas of the brain that are diagnosed as damaged. Other than cracking someone’s skull open and performing brain surgery, how can damage from a concussion be fixed?
Put the red line back into play
The League is taking all of these issues very seriously and we can be sure that continued changes will be forthcoming.
Most importantly, the pace of the game needs to be slowed down. Talk of equipment adjustments, or hardness, are secondary to issues relating to the impact force that today’s massive players are creating.
Re-introducing the red line would significantly alter the amount of space players have available to them. Balancing that change, without allowing ‘The Trap’ to rear its ugly head, will be tricky and must be done.
The road forward
Giroux’s injury occurred accidentally and didn’t involve his head being intentionally smashed against the boards. It’s also unknown if Simmonds’ knee pad increased the severity of his concussion. What is known is that he is the latest in a series of players to suffer a head injury.
Physical contact will continue to make hockey more dangerous than many other sports. But, the NHL must act aggressively in order to adjust an atmosphere that has also become overly reckless.
Sean was born in the Philadelphia region and has written professionally for over two decades. Read his Sports Blog: Insight and follow him on Twitter @ SeanyOB
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