After suffering 4th concussion, questions over Crosby’s return
TORONTO (CP) — Having suffered at least four concussions himself, former NHL forward Keith Primeau has a good idea of what injured Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby is going through.
Head injuries eventually forced Primeau from the game in 2006. He had tried for over a year to get back in the Philadelphia Flyers lineup but was eventually told that it would be best if he stopped playing. Primeau retired a month later. “If I knew then what I know now, the ultimate decision would have been for me to call it quits earlier,” Primeau said Wednesday. “But there was no chance that I was ever going to do that. How do you convince somebody? You’re playing a little bit of Russian roulette.”
Crosby suffered what’s believed to be the fourth concussion of his career Monday night against the Washington Capitals. His return date is uncertain.
The time may be approaching, doctors suggested Wednesday, for Crosby to take a hard look at not when — but if — he should return to the game.
“When there have been multiple concussions, the chance of having persisting symptoms goes up terrifically,” said Dr. Charles Tator, the director of the Canadian Concussion Centre at Toronto Western Hospital. “So we’re especially careful about helping people avoid further concussions.
“If he were an amateur, we would probably tell him to hang up his skates.”
Crosby was out of action for almost a year after suffering a pair of head injuries in early 2011. He suffered another concussion last October but only missed two weeks of action.
Dr. Paul Echlin, a primary care sports medicine specialist in Burlington, Ont., and past chair of the London Hockey Concussion Summit, said a fourth concussion is very concerning. At that point, Echlin said, long-term effects need to be considered.
“This is a young man’s life ... this is a human issue,” he said. “It’s not about whether the Pittsburgh Penguins advance in the playoffs or what the matchups are.”
It’s unclear whether Crosby will be able to return for the second-round series or at any point in the post-season.
Making things even tougher for Crosby is that his latest injury came in the heat of a playoff series against an archrival. Primeau said personal pride can sometimes get in the way of clear decisionmaking.
“You feel like you’re against the odds or you’re beating the odds,” he said. “In reality you don’t have the ability to look at the full picture.”
Primeau’s advice to any player is to listen to your body and consider long-term health. But that doesn’t make the decision on a player’s future in the sport any easier.
“You’re taking a part of who you are and suggesting that maybe that might be the end,” Primeau recalled about his decision to retire. “It’s a very trying experience to say the least.”
Crosby, 29, led the NHL with 44 goals this season and was recently named a finalist for the Hart Trophy. He had 11 points in eight playoff games before going down.