Quote:
Originally Posted by kingswillwinthecup
And it's fair to say there have been just as many players who received serious concussions and eventually returned to form.
Obviously it's a big risk; no one is arguing that. But Stoll hasn't experienced any post-concussion syndromes in quite a while. I think it's safe to assume that he's 100% healthy. The guy did play a full season last year.
Nonetheless, the biggest thing about concussions (and other career threatening injuries) is what they do to a player's psyche. A normally aggressive, gritty player (like Stoll) will tend to hold back coming off such a serious head injury. They won't take as many chances as they normally would out of fear of a second occurrence. It's all about regaining psychological form and rekindling the fire. There's usually a "feeling out" phase that happens after such an injury, when a player returns to the ice 100% objectively healthy, but has to find their game again. Some players return to form. Some don't.
Both Handzus and Stoll went through this last season. Have they found their game again and will they return to form? I have no idea. But we'll know after next season.
But for the most part, yeah, it's a huge risk and could either pay huge dividends or cause Lombardi his job.
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Ha. Post-concussion syndromes? I meant "symptoms." That's what I get for posting at 2 in the morning.