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Pronger: I have never felt like this before


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Not good news! From Panotch at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Tim-Panaccio/Pronger-I-Never-Felt-Like-This/2/40164

Chris Pronger held a conference call this morning to update his status.

Most of us thought it would surround his left knee that was surgically repaired this week.

But the surprise was, Pronger admitted he is concerned about a lingering virus that won't go away despite numerous medical and blood tests to determine why he doesn't feel well.

Pronger has classic concussion symptoms but doesn't remember taking any kind of hit that would have induced such and said he passed a baseline test.

Here is the transcript, courtesy of the Flyers:

Q: When did you have your surgery and how are you feeling?

A: I had the surgery on Tuesday afternoon. I’m feeling okay just ice and elevation, trying to get the swelling out and I start my rehab tomorrow

Q: Holmgren said the other day that you would be out for 4 weeks. Are you optimistic that it will be four weeks? Do you think you could be back sooner than that?

A: I have no idea. Again, I had surgery two days ago, so once I start getting my rehab going, as I progress through that I’ll know a bit more. Gauging off of when I had my other knee done a couple of years ago, a month sounds about right, but again, it may be 3 weeks, it may be 6 weeks, I don’t know. We just kind of gave a ballpark number because we don’t really know.

Q: You mentioned the other surgery and that one took about 9 weeks. Homer said he thought that one was more involved…did the doctors tell you what was different about this surgery compared to the one you had two years ago?

A: There was a little bit more damage on the one a couple years ago. There were pretty big chunks they took out and it was not as clean as this knee was. The doctor was pretty pleased when he got in there to see what exactly was involved and was pretty please with what he saw.

Q: Did you feel like you were almost ready to come back from the virus and then this whole thing with the knee came up?

A: Well, my knee had kind of been bothering me. It’s gradually gotten worse since I came back from the eye injury. When I stopped skating, as I started to try to work out, it started to bother me. I’d do daily workouts and try to do legs every other day and it got to a point where I couldn’t do my leg workouts so I knew something was wrong. I went and got the MRI and got a plan to get it fixed very quickly as opposed to last time, Tim, when you got mad at me for doing it so late.

Q: Was there anything that you did when you played that would have contributed to this injury?

A: Not that I know of. I don’t remember ever getting hit; I don’t remember ever catching it in a rut or doing anything. I don’t know what it’s from…I have a couple suspicions, but I don’t really know.

Q: How frustrating is this for you? Last year you said was the season from hell and this year so far you’ve had three different issues. How tough it for you mentally now with this kind of start?

A: Again, I was pretty pleased with how my summer went with training and obviously got in a preseason game and felt like I got a pretty good start to the season. When you have a fluke injury where you get slashed in the face with a stick and now the knee, it’s a little disheartening. But I felt like I was playing pretty well when I got hurt the first time. It just sets you back. You’re just starting to get your rhythm, you’re starting to get in your groove and you’re comfort level is very high and this kind of sets you back. I have to go through that whole process again whenever I do get back.

Q: How scary was the virus? When we asked Paul he didn’t really know what it was. He said there were tests but it wasn’t anything overly-serious…

A: I just didn’t feel well. I didn’t know what it was, we said it was a virus but I didn’t know what it was. I had never felt like that before, where I had headaches and nausea and all the rest of that stuff. So I had a concussion test. I took the baseline test and passed that… I’ve just never felt like this where you get lightheaded, you have headaches, you’re nauseous...It’s been a bit of a mystery with what exactly is going on. I did some blood-work and we’re trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

Q: Is this one of those things, with your surgery, where you might’ve been able to play but you wanted to take care of it so that when it comes time for the games that really matter—the playoffs—you can be 100 percent?

A: I think if it was the playoffs or the Stanley Cup Final, I could play, but it was to the point where I wouldn’t have played very well. We can always say we can play but at what level and at what detriment are you playing? At this stage in the season, not knowing the other side of it, it was prudent to get it done now so that if I’m able to return in 4 weeks, let’s say, then I’m able to get 3 weeks in before the all star break and then put the hammer down after that, as we get into the playoff stretch.

Q: When you go through something like this-- when you’ve had so many surgeries-- do u do any soul searching and say, my body’s breaking down here, how long do I want to go through this? Or do you say to yourself, hey, I did have a fluke injury with the eye but now I have both of my knees taken care of so they should be good to go for a few more years…?

A: Well you have to look at the injuries in their totality. I got hit with a puck and I broke my foot. I got hit with a puck in the hand and I broke my hand. I got slashed in the face and hurt my eye. The knees are things that, you know, I hurt my knee in the game against Boston in the Stanley cup playoff and this one was from I don’t know what. The only one that was really perplexing was the back. I don’t really know how or what happened there and probably never will. It’s just one of those things. You look at the number of the injuries and they would seem to be kind of fluky. Three of them I got hit with the puck or a stick. Are those everyday hockey occurrences? Yeah, it could happen to anybody. When you play the game hard and you play a lot of minutes you’re that much more inclined to have something happen to you because you’re always out there. So you still have to take a look at it as, yeah, I’ve had a lot of surgeries and it takes a toll on your body but you’ve got to continue to follow rehab protocol and follow guidance of the doctors and try to make sure that you’re doing the best you can to take care of your body and take care of your mind at the same time to prepare yourself to be ready when you do get back.

Q: Just to be clear, are you still dealing with the effects of the virus? Or whatever you said you wanted to call it?

A: Yeah, I’m not quite…again, we’re still trying to ascertain what’s going on, and like I said, I’ve never felt like this before so...I don’t really know what’s going on.

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Q: Did you feel like you were almost ready to come back from the virus and then this whole thing with the knee came up?

A: Well, my knee had kind of been bothering me. It’s gradually gotten worse since I came back from the eye injury. When I stopped skating, as I started to try to work out, it started to bother me. I’d do daily workouts and try to do legs every other day and it got to a point where I couldn’t do my leg workouts so I knew something was wrong. I went and got the MRI and got a plan to get it fixed very quickly as opposed to last time, Tim, when you got mad at me for doing it so late.

Kind of funny the way he takes a little dig at Pannacio...I do believe we could include Pronger in the smarmy crowd....The thing is, Pannacio pretty much voiced what 90% of the flyer fans were thinking...

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"I just didn’t feel well. I didn’t know what it was, we said it was a virus but I didn’t know what it was. I had never felt like that before, where I had headaches and nausea and all the rest of that stuff. So I had a concussion test. I took the baseline test and passed that… I’ve just never felt like this where you get lightheaded, you have headaches, you’re nauseous...It’s been a bit of a mystery with what exactly is going on. I did some blood-work and we’re trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on."

I think I can explain either 2 possibilities for his symptoms other than a "mystery virus".

First, when you are in pain and have a muscle-skeletal injury it disrupts normal neural input to the cerebellum (balance) and mid brain, and also sets up abnormal reflex arcs including alteration of blood and vestibular apparatus (again balance). If after the surgery he still has these symptoms I would go with my second suspicion. After a lower back injury, the spine compensates and usually L5 (his surgery repair) is linked to the first cervical vertebral segment. When position of this segment is changed, it can affect the nervous system, leading to common feelings of lethargy, headaches and nausea. Being a chiropractor for over 21 years I see this repeatedly. It usually only takes a couple of treatments to return to a more functional state.

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-Pronger: I have never felt like this before

- me: yes this happened when you reached mark close 40 y.o.

- Pronger: mmmm....mmm

- me: you should not asked to such long contract and money, now you are f...., because Flyers will buy out your contract eventually.

- Pronger: really....mmm...

- me : Yes Chrisy, time to let it go, and stop to show off looked like you're twenty y.o.

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@phlfly

Prongers caphit will count against the Flyers for the duration of the contract. There is no buyout, no LTIR, no waiver, nothing. Holmgren didn't have a clue what he was getting into when he signed him to that.

I didn't know all that. No buyout? We are ****ED!

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If I read the situation correctly, Pronger's contract will be against the cap for the annual number, but he can be put on LTIR when the season begins (as Laperriere is).

The rub is that that space can't be used to sign players in the offseason - again, if I read it right.

They cannot buy him out. He cannot "retire."

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If I read the situation correctly, Pronger's contract will be against the cap for the annual number, but he can be put on LTIR when the season begins (as Laperriere is).

The rub is that that space can't be used to sign players in the offseason - again, if I read it right.

They cannot buy him out. He cannot "retire."

Right. But he has to legitimately be unable to play and making an effort to return to the game. Now, I don't know how severe they are with those requirements, but since they've already investigated the Pronger contract (and we all *know* instinctively that it was done to circumvent the cap), you can be damn sure they will check up on good ol' Prongs if he hits the LTIR for a significant amount of time.

Really, the best bet is to buy him out if teams get a special buy out period after the new CBA, or trade him to a team needing to hit the cap floor.

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Really, the best bet is to buy him out if teams get a special buy out period after the new CBA, or trade him to a team needing to hit the cap floor.

If there is a special buyout period, I would agree that he's gone unless there's a tremendous turaround in health prospects.

Concussion-type symptoms are certainly cause for not playing (see: Primeau, Laperriere, etc.) and verifiable from "independent" sources.

As for trades, he does have one of those pesky NTCs...

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Pronger: I've never felt this way before

I can't help it, every time i see that topic title i think ... what, he's gay for crosby now ?

I hope we can buy someone out with the new cba, him briere, bryzgalov, someone....there are some boat anchor contrats on this roster.

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I hope we can buy someone out with the new cba, him briere, bryzgalov, someone....there are some boat anchor contrats on this roster.

I think Briere is working out fine. He's got three more years, but of the three "#1 Cs" that "had to be signed" he's worked out the best - Drury and Gomez being the other two. Aside from ths 06-07 year and his injury year in 08-09, he's had better numbers in his time in Philly than anywhere else.

He was also the cheapest.

Pronger's deal is a definite worry. They clearly intended to circumvent the cap there (IMO).

I'm a Bryzgalov fan, but nine years at $5.6M per is too much for too long...

I don't know who might be against a "special buy out period" - the NHLPA would be foolish as it would allow some players who were bought out to double up on compensation for the bought out years.

They might do it anyway, though...

The only other immediate long range deals are JVR and Coburn.

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@radoran

I don't mean to sound like a Briere hater, because that's not the case, you're absolutely correct that of the big 3 centers the year we signed him he's been the best. his cap number is big and he's little, i hope he can play to his high level for the duration of the deal, i fear his tenure here may be sullied by his making 6.3 million and playing 35 games with 28 pts in his last year due to injury, (the chronic ones that come with age) that's all i'm saying.

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I don't mean to sound like a Briere hater, because that's not the case, you're absolutely correct that of the big 3 centers the year we signed him he's been the best. his cap number is big and he's little, i hope he can play to his high level for the duration of the deal, i fear his tenure here may be sullied by his making 6.3 million and playing 35 games with 28 pts in his last year due to injury, (the chronic ones that come with age) that's all i'm saying.

The only rub there is that they would need to make that decision, apparently, before the next season (CBA expiry: 9/15/12).

Unless he breaks down a bit this season, I can't see the Flyers taking the (potential) buyout unless they decide to tear everything down and rebuild ground-up.

His size and injury situation is definitely a concern.

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Schenn also out indefinitely with a concussion.

Holmgren, who also announced Friday that Brayden Schenn has been shut down at least through the weekend with what are being characterized as milder concussion symptoms. 

 

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From another board..... evidentially it's starting to become a question of 'if' and not 'when' Pronger comes back.

Montreal sports radio last night when Pierre Mcguire was on. He coached Pronger is Hartford and is still good friends with him. He said Pronger is very scared about the head injury. Said he has never seen Chris scared.....until now
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