During Saturday afternoon’s debacle against the Boston Bruins, Claude Giroux was dressed in a button down shirt and tie, watching the spectacle from the press box.
According to Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren, that is the same day “Giroux was cleared to resume all activity.”
Since Saturday, Giroux has traveled with the team out west and participated in practices. He wore a no-contact jersey on Monday but was skating in regular drills this morning at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. His health status has been revised from “out indefinitely” to “day-to-day.” There is now an expectation that Giroux will play this week, as early as tomorrow night against the Dallas Stars.
While it’s possible that what the public has been told is completely accurate, the timing seems off. After all, Giroux had “whiplash” until last Tuesday, when he first reportedly “wasn’t feeling very good.” Every concussion is different, and perhaps Giroux really only had a mild concussion.
On the other hand, hockey players are, by nature, impatient creatures. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced this morning that forward Colby Armstrong tried to hide a concussion sustained in last Saturday’s loss to the Vancouver Canucks from the team. Apparently trainers figured it out anyway, when he got so nauseous he puked.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie addressed the topic in a piece today, where he nailed the issue on the head: you cannot cheat a concussion.
“Part of the problem is that concussed players can and do pass baseline and impact testing, suggesting to them and perhaps their club that they’re fit to play. But the best and most reliable test is the player knowing himself whether he’s symptomatic or feeling not quite right.”
We’ll find out this week if it was a mistake or not to return Giroux back so quickly, but as one of the most important members of this club, why risk it? Furthermore, considering the past history of this organization’s medical staff, would it hurt to obtain an independent doctor’s diagnosis? Pronger had a ‘virus’ until he went to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, after which he had ‘severe post-concussion syndrome.’
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I completely agree Josh. If he feels good to go tomorrow and is “cleared,” hold him out for another week to be on the safe side. Its only December, the team will survive.