Q: What changed with Chris?
“I think over the last few days he’s had some difficulties… a fairly persistent headache, just sluggish feeling – so we’re just trying to do the right thing here and get him checked out by the doctors in Pittsburgh and just see what we’re dealing with. Is it a concussion? I don’t know that we know that. We want to get a better idea, obviously.”
Q: There’s still no idea what it might have stemmed from? The high stick?
“I don’t know. I looked yesterday and I think he played four games after that particular incident after missing some time. I talked to him after the game in Winnipeg and he said he didn’t feel great in that game. He didn’t feel like himself. We got him checked out after that game and before our next game, and then obviously the dominoes started to fall with his knee, and we said a virus at first because we weren’t sure what we were dealing with. Just over the last two or three days he’s got a fairly persistent headache and a really sluggish feeling.”
Q: It probably was not a virus?
“I don’t know. That’s a good question. I don’t know that we’ll ever know that. We didn’t know what we were dealing with then and I’m not sure we do now. But concussion-like symptoms continue to persist, so we’re just going to get him checked.”
Q: Have you seen these kinds of symptoms the way he’s been having them?
“I don’t know. The protocol that we utilize now for concussions, obviously it’s very thorough. We're going through a similar thing with Brayden Schenn right now. I know he got hit in the nose in the game in Phoenix, or just below his nose… felt great and continued to play in the game, felt fine on the way home. I think we had an off-day the next day, came in Monday and he didn’t feel great. We kept him off the ice… he got checked on Tuesday, did an IMPACT test and passed that. He went out for practice, felt pretty good halfway through practice, and then came off at the end of practice and didn’t feel great. So we’re going to shut him down. Those are the rules and that’s what we’re dealing with.”
Q: So Chris passed a test before and now he’s failed one?
“I don’t think he’s had one since then. He passed the first one, this is going back actually before the first game he missed from what we said was a virus. We haven’t given him one since. Most of this has just come up in the last two or three days where he’s just got these symptoms that seem like concussion-like symptoms. So we’re going to get him checked.”
Q: The doctor in Pittsburgh has become the doctor of choice?
“Dr. Maroon has been used before with Ian Laperriere from a couple years ago, with his issues we sent Ian there to see him. Obviously he’s become more of a concussion star with Sidney, I guess.”
Q: Is there a timetable on Schenn?
“We’re going to keep him shut down through the weekend here and see how he is on Monday.”
Q: Schenn is not going to Pittsburgh because his symptoms aren’t as severe?“Right. Right now we just see this as a mild concussion.”
Q: Does this put the pressure on to make any kind of move?
“Well, we have seven defensemen right now that are healthy and we’re happy with their play. Every other day, you’re talking with somebody about what’s out there, but I like the way our team is playing right now. I like the way the young kids have played on defense, and I don’t feel a need to really rush into anything.”
Q: How frustrated is Chris?
“I feel bad for Chris. He’s a very experienced hockey player that still wants to play the game at the highest level. I know this last year for him has been very frustrating, with the injuries he had last year and to have to deal with what he’s dealt with this year. He’s frustrated.
Q: If this turns into a long term thing…
“I still feel like between Kimmo and Matty Carle and [Braydon Coburn] and [Andrej Meszaros] we still have four pretty good guys that can play a lot of minutes. On the other hand, it’ hard to replace a Chris Pronger no matter what you do. You’re not gonna get that guy. We’ll see what happens over the next little while. Hopefully we’ll get some better news after Chris visits the doctors in Pittsburgh, and we’ll see what happens from there.
Q: This hasn’t kept him from rehabbing his knee?
“He’s had some fluid taken off his knee since the surgery. This was a couple days ago… that’s the reason he shut down that part. His knee’s actually doing great right now. I think he was on the right timetable to come back from the arthroscopic surgery he had. This other thing is just kind of getting in the way right now, and we need to get some answers and get to the bottom of it.
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