Holmgren talks Timonen injury

Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren On Injury To Kimmo Timonen- May 8, 2008

Q: When did this happen?
Holmgren: “Kimmo (Timonen) was hit with a shot in Game 4 against Montreal. Obviously he played in Game 5 and it continued to bother him. We had an MRI done on him and followed up with a visit to a vascular surgeon (University of Pennsylvania Health System Vascular Surgeon Dr. Ronald M. Fairman, MD) today. There is a blot clot right on the front of his left foot right about where he ties his skates. It’s a quite serious thing. He is on blood thinners and he is not going to be available.”

Q: For how long?
Holmgren: “There is some hope that in a week’s time there might be some improvement, but we will have to see how that goes.”

Q: When was he first evaluated?
Holmgren: “In the training room just like it was a bruise. He was first evaluated yesterday with an MRI, which really didn’t show much. We followed it up to ease Kimmo’s mind and that is when the doctor found a small blood clot. It’s such a funny area that if he ever gets hit there again a lot of problems could arise.

Q: This has to be a crushing blow to your team.
Holmgren: “It is what it is. We have to deal with it. It gives somebody else an opportunity to step up. Everybody else is going to have to do a bigger part and we will see what happens. Obviously you can’t replace a player that does what Kimmo does for us. Somebody else is going to have to step up and the team is gong to have to do a better job of dealing with it.”

Q: Does Jaroslav Modry come back in the lineup now?
Holmgren: “Obviously the two choices are Modry or (Ryan) Parent. I really have not talked to (Flyers Head Coach) John (Stevens) about that, so I don’t know.”

Q: Did Kimmo first complain about this after Game 4?
Holmgren: “It was right at the end of the game and we treated it like you do any other blocked shot in that area, you put ice on it and try to keep the swelling down. I know he played with it in Game 5 and he was complaining about it, but whatever they do to get to play they did and he played very well obviously. It’s continued to bother him more and more each day since that time. We ruled out any kind of a fracture and we started to get him checked out and this is what it comes to.”

Q: Can you describe the size of the blood clot?
Holmgren: “No, I can’t. I don’t know. A blood clot is a blood clot and anytime you are talking about a blood clot, it’s serious. That is why we are dealing with it like we are.”

Q: You said that there was a possibility that he could come back, what medical procedure are you following now?
Holmgren: “Well I don’t know if there is any medical procedure other than right now he is going to be taking some anti-coagulant or blood thinners. The doctor’s feeling is that this will resolve itself over a period of time. How long a period of a time remains to be seen.”

Q: You brought up hope that he could be coming back in…
Holmgren: “I think that might be more of Kimmo’s hope more than anything, which is admirable. Right now we have to view this as he is not a player for us for this series and we are going to have to march on.”

Q: When was the MRI done?
Holmgren: “The MRI was done yesterday.”

Q: When did Kimmo get hit?
Holmgren: “It was late in the game. It was (Andrei) Markov’s shot. I don’t know the time, I know it was late in Game 4.”

Q: Did the doctor give any sort of percentage chance of him being able to come back?
Holmgren: “I didn’t really speak with the doctor. When they first told him that this should clear up within a month or two, in that time frame, and he would be fine, but Kimmo did some how get some glimmer of hope that who knows. They just don’t know how quickly the clot is going to respond to the medicine that he is going to be taking. I think right now it’s right where he laces up his skates. Like I said, I am not going to hold out any hope that he will be back in this series and we will just see after that. If he came back, obviously that would be a hug bonus.”