Looking back, Alex Zhamnov was lucky.
When the talented Blackhawks center had his head driven into the glass by St. Louis’ Scott Pellerin on March 3 at the Kiel Center, Zhamnov missed only four games with a concussion.
Anaheim’s Paul Kariya got cross-checked in the jaw by Hawks defenseman Gary Suter on Feb. 1, and he still isn’t back. He may not play again this season.
Eric Lindros got hammered by Pittsburgh defenseman Darius Kasparaitis on March 7. Eight games later, Lindros hasn’t played because of a concussion, and he may not play until April.
In hockey today, the players are bigger, stronger and faster. The hits are as vicious as ever and concussion awareness is at an all-time high.
A concussion is the result of a shaken, or bruised, brain, an injury that can cause mild headaches, nausea, lethargy, coma or death.
Before returning to action from a concussion, players must pass three tests: ride a stationary bike for 2 minutes with a heart rate of 120 beats a minute and no headaches for 24 hours; ride a stationary bike for 2 minutes with a heart rate of 150 beats a minute and no headaches for 24 hours; complete two practices with no headaches.
It may sound like a headache to play the waiting game, but players and coaches have no choice. Concussions are tricky injuries, and not something to take lightly.
Anaheim team doctor Craig Milhouse wants Kariya to be free of symptoms a day for each day he has experienced dizziness and headaches. Philadelphia team doctor Jeff Hartzell also won’t rush Lindros.
“Hey, it’s not like shooting craps here,” said Lindros, who has been undergoing acupuncture treatments in an effort to speed the healing process.
“You can’t do anything, you just have to wait to feel better,” said Zhamnov, who suffered a mild concussion in a car accident earlier this season, forcing him to miss one game. “When you work out, you feel it right away. You feel dizzy, maybe want to puke. It’s tough.
“Sometimes you have no idea what’s going on, what’s happening around you. It’s difficult because sometimes you have a headache, sometimes dizziness when you’re skating. But that’s hockey–it sometimes happens.”
It happens to some players more than others. It ended the career of Lindros’ younger brother, Brent, almost before it got started. The New York Rangers’ Pat LaFontaine has had five concussions in the last seven seasons, and anytime the ex-Buffalo Sabres captain takes a big hit, people hold their breath in hopes it’s not the last hit he takes.
New York Islanders defenseman Dennis Vaske suffered a “mild” concussion Nov. 14 and hasn’t played since. Postconcussion syndrome ended the career of Bears fullback Merril Hoge in 1995.
“Concussions are very difficult to assess,” said Hawks strength and conditioning coach Mark Kling. “There’s no standard in medicine to assess it.”
“If they’re really, really bad, they show up on the MRI,” said Hawks defenseman Cam Russell, who missed a couple of games last season with a concussion. “But sometimes you can have a concussion that’s bad enough to keep you out, but it really doesn’t show up (on diagnostic tests). Half the time people think you’re faking.
“You’re the only one who can tell when you’re ready to come back and play. It’s frustrating. To people you look fine, but you feel terrible.”
Earlier this season, a couple of Tampa Bay Lightning players suggested Brian Bradley was faking an injury, when in fact Bradley was suffering from a concussion. He considered retirement, saying he was told if he attempted to come back, “I could suffer major brain damage.”
Ten years ago, he might have been told to strap on his helmet a little tighter and play in pain.
“They’re so safe about concussions now,” Russell said. “It’s more precautionary. If you feel a little weak or dizzy, they’ll pull you off the ice. They treat them a lot differently now than they used to.
“I’m sure I might have had one in junior and played through it because we didn’t know what they were back then. If you felt woozy or had double vision, you just played through it.”
Before this season, more than 900 players took brain-function tests to give doctors a basis for comparison if head injuries occurred. The NHL has neuropsychologists available in every one of its 26 cities.
Dr. Charles Burke, chairman of the NHL’s study of postconcussion syndrome and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ team physician, said head injuries are a lot different than hurting a knee or foot.
“You’re talking about the brain, and you just don’t know much about the brain,” he said.
The NHL will continue to learn more about it, though, especially if stars such as Kariya and Lindros are the ones affected by concussions.
“That’s the way it always is,” Russell said. “When it happens to the stars, it becomes a big injury. But it’s been around a while.”
And it’s not going to go away. That’s why the more informed the players and league become, the better.
“Don’t take care of yourself, ignore the warning signs,” said Calgary’s Todd Hlushko, also a concussion victim, “and you are rolling with a loaded pair of dice.”
