Zetterberg injury every teams worst nightmare

[yave1964]

  After only one game playing for team Sweden Hank Zetterberg has been sent home with a Herniated disc.

 

  Red Wings GM Ken Holland had this to say,

"[He] is in a great deal of discomfort, so in fairness to Sweden, the Detroit Red Wings organization and himself, he is pulling out of the Olympics," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free-Press.

"He has to see a doctor, but he will not be ready by the time we come out of the Olympic break. Beyond that, I have no real time frame."

Holland also said he's not sure if surgery will be necessary but either way, it doesn't sound very good for the Red Wings at this point either, this injury will likely bleed over to their team as well.

 

  So Zetterberg who desperately needed time off to recover from a first half of injuries so the Wings can make a play in the second half and hold off teams such as the Senators, Flyers, Jackets and Canes as they fight to get in for the 23rd year in a row and fight with teams such as the Canadiens and Lightning who are ahead of them as they attempt to improve their position may instead lose their captain for a long time, quite possibly if he has surgery for the entire season.

  This is Olympic folly at its greatest a 30 something who is nicked up feeling a need to go for Olympic glory at the expense of his team back in the NHL. If his season is done so is the run of the Wings.

[radoran]

  After only one game playing for team Sweden Hank Zetterberg has been sent home with a Herniated disc.

 

  Red Wings GM Ken Holland had this to say,

"[He] is in a great deal of discomfort, so in fairness to Sweden, the Detroit Red Wings organization and himself, he is pulling out of the Olympics," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free-Press.

"He has to see a doctor, but he will not be ready by the time we come out of the Olympic break. Beyond that, I have no real time frame."

Holland also said he's not sure if surgery will be necessary but either way, it doesn't sound very good for the Red Wings at this point either, this injury will likely bleed over to their team as well.

 

  So Zetterberg who desperately needed time off to recover from a first half of injuries so the Wings can make a play in the second half and hold off teams such as the Senators, Flyers, Jackets and Canes as they fight to get in for the 23rd year in a row and fight with teams such as the Canadiens and Lightning who are ahead of them as they attempt to improve their position may instead lose their captain for a long time, quite possibly if he has surgery for the entire season.

  This is Olympic folly at its greatest a 30 something who is nicked up feeling a need to go for Olympic glory at the expense of his team back in the NHL. If his season is done so is the run of the Wings.

 

After the decision by the League to participate, this is entirely on the player, the team and the medical staffs.

 

If Zetterberg wasn't healthy enough to play, they should have kept him out.

 

The same thing could easily - probably more easily - have happened in an NHL game as it could in the Olympics.

 

Zetterberg's been a Swede all his life and will be a Swede for the rest of his life.

[yave1964]

After the decision by the League to participate, this is entirely on the player, the team and the medical staffs.

 

If Zetterberg wasn't healthy enough to play, they should have kept him out.

 

The same thing could easily - probably more easily - have happened in an NHL game as it could in the Olympics.

 

Zetterberg's been a Swede all his life and will be a Swede for the rest of his life.

  I get that Rad, my problem is I am not a fan of the three week shut down. I can give a list of a dozen reasons or more that I do not care for it. Potential injury to star players affecting the stretch drive of a team has to be at the top of my list.

[JackStraw]

This is Olympic folly at its greatest a 30 something who is nicked up feeling a need to go for Olympic glory at the expense of his team back in the NHL. If his season is done so is the run of the Wings.

 

 

Considering that he had the condition going in to the Olympics, if the league hadn't shut down and he continued to play the same thing would have happened. I don't see how anyone can blame the Olympics for this. I'm sure that for some of these players, Europeans in particular, the Olympics is as important as the Stanley Cup. If not more so. And no offense, but Detroit isn't winning the Cup this year anyway. Sweden's gold medal chances on the other hand, which were very real, take a huge hit now.

 

In fact, in this particular case I'd say the Olympic break helps Zetterberg (and the Wings) more than hurts him. At least now he has a couple extra weeks to recover without missing any games.

Edited February 14, 2014 by JackStraw

[ruxpin]

  I get that Rad, my problem is I am not a fan of the three week shut down. I can give a list of a dozen reasons or more that I do not care for it. Potential injury to star players affecting the stretch drive of a team has to be at the top of my list.

 

COMPLETELY agree!

[Polaris922]

I put this squarely on Zetterberg IF he was already suffering a back issue and tried playing through it anyway. If there were no signs of trouble in his back and this just happened in the Olympic game then lets face it, there was no way anyone could know. It could happen opening a box of cereal.

[ruxpin]

I put this squarely on Zetterberg IF he was already suffering a back issue and tried playing through it anyway. If there were no signs of trouble in his back and this just happened in the Olympic game then lets face it, there was no way anyone could know. It could happen opening a box of cereal.

 

if you're risking a herniated disk opening a box of cereal, you might be doing it wrong.   

[yave1964]

  Zetterberg has been struggling with injury and still averaging over a point a game and playing through and absolutely owning the third period of games. He gets a couple of weeks of rest but I feel he would have been serving his employer a service by refusing to play for Sweden in the first place. Keep in mind, I am biased and admit it on two sides, I think that the Olympics have no business shutting down the NHL and I am a Wings fan. Those who feel different we will have to simply agree to disagree.

[JackStraw]

@yave1964 - so, shouldn't your ire be directed at Z then? He chose to participate, didn't he? And the Olympics don't shut down the NHL, the NHL shuts down the NHL. The Olympics go on whether or not the NHL chooses to allow its players to participate. And hockey will still be an Olympic sport, with or without Sidney Crosby. And I suspect that the league decided to participate for two main reasons, 1) their players really wanted to, and 2) more exposure to hockey = more $$$ for the NHL. I don't get how the Olympics are the bad guy in this scenario.

 

All of that said, I understand that some people just don't like it.

[yave1964]

@yave1964 - so, shouldn't your ire be directed at Z then? He chose to participate, didn't he? And the Olympics don't shut down the NHL, the NHL shuts down the NHL. The Olympics go on whether or not the NHL chooses to allow its players to participate. And hockey will still be an Olympic sport, with or without Sidney Crosby. And I suspect that the league decided to participate for two main reasons, 1) their players really wanted to, and 2) more exposure to hockey = more $$$ for the NHL. I don't get how the Olympics are the bad guy in this scenario.

 

All of that said, I understand that some people just don't like it.

  Believe me the majority of my ire is at Zetterberg and at Datsyuk who missed 14 games pre Olympics and came back only able to play about ten minutes in the final two games before the break. But he is sure out there now for Mother Russia.

  To me the players are at fault to a high degree, Pavel and Z were injured off and on all season so far, since November they have only played in six games together. I feel they owe it to the Wings to use the time to R and R. I get it that they want to play for their home country but USA or Canada or Sweden do not play the paychecks and if injured they owe the club and themselves to take the time to rest up and heal.

[hf101]

Zetterberg stated that the pain was 20 times worse than before.  After the game however he was fine and became sore overnight

 

I posted somewhere here that the cost of insurance for these players will soon be too great for the Olympics.   The loss of both H. Sedin and Zetterberg puts a damper on Sweden's quest for gold.

[Polaris922]

if you're risking a herniated disk opening a box of cereal, you might be doing it wrong.

I've had ruptured discs in my spine since I was in the service. I know it sounds funny, but if he has a back injury from whenever in his life, he could play a grueling seven game playoff series then cause a flare up by reaching for a spoon. Back injuries are that bizarre and unpredictable.

The story doesn't say if this is a new or old injury, so that would be the difference. Did he know he was at risk or not.

*rolls your eyes back to you*

I see @HF101 just said its a re-injury so more shame on Z if it wasn't mostly healed. Once injured you are always more susceptible. Always.

Edited February 14, 2014 by Polaris922

[jammer2]

@yave1964  I've been saying all along, the Wings had no choice but let Zetts and Daysuyk compete in the Olympics. If they forbid them to go, they would have either defied them or demanded a trade. Either way, had the Wings not let them go, things would have NEVER been the same between them and their stars. It would be like forbidding a player to witness the birth of a son or daughter x10. That is how much representing their countries meant to these guys. The Wings were really in a no win situation.

 

 

 It comes down to this, Swedes and Russians first, NHL players second. These guys could leave and play in the KHL anytime they want. It would be an unforgiveable move for the Wings to forbid them to go...in their eyes.

[SpikeDDS]

@yave1964  I've been saying all along, the Wings had no choice but let Zetts and Daysuyk compete in the Olympics. If they forbid them to go, they would have either defied them or demanded a trade. Either way, had the Wings not let them go, things would have NEVER been the same between them and their stars. It would be like forbidding a player to witness the birth of a son or daughter x10. That is how much representing their countries meant to these guys. The Wings were really in a no win situation.

 

 

 It comes down to this, Swedes and Russians first, NHL players second. These guys could leave and play in the KHL anytime they want. It would be an unforgiveable move for the Wings to forbid them to go...in their eyes.

I agree with @jammer2 here on pretty much all counts.

I do fault the league for letting the Olympics preempt their season. If, as a collective, they said no Olympics, or at least retained the right to tell players they can't go due to injury, the players would gripe, but I don't think they would bolt. But trying to do it team-by-team or player-by-player will not work.

And you can't expect players to make right decisions on these things. When they want to play badly enough, they will choose to play even when they shouldn't. Steve Yzerman embodied this very thing, only his injury was his knee, and he was able to get away with it. Backs are different. So are concussions. This is not just Pav & Z. This is pretty much true of elite-level hockey players. They are driven, and when they want something, they can't be trusted to have good judgment.

The error is that the league did not negotiate that it would have CLEAR AUTHORITY on clearing players for play in the Olympics. It's not the team's fault. The league took away their authority.

Yes, some of the onus is on the player, but if they were playing for the Wings, you'd want them to want to be on the ice even when, perhaps, they shouldn't be. I'm afraid we can't have it both ways.

There is no solution that will make everyone happy. That is the only thing that is certain about this.

[WingNut722]

There is no solution that will make everyone happy. That is the only thing that is certain about this.

 

Then let me posit this question to you, sir...  Is it better to have a solution that will make a few people happy, or a solution that will make everyone unhappy?  i.e. should the NHL ban their players from participating in the Olympics at all?  (I have my opinion, but I'm withholding it now for objectivity's sake)

[jammer2]

@WingNut722  I'm thinking the *only* way the Wings could have avoided this mess is the NHL not sending the players. Thing is, it means *so* much to Zetts, he may have left the NHL for the KHL in order to play in these Olympics. If he did not try and play, he would always be bitter and wonder if Sweden would have won if he was there. I don't even think I can put into words how important it was for Zetts to play....ditto for Pavel.

[flyercanuck]

@WingNut722

 

 So the NHL bans players....Canada loses what, a pool of 300 players? Russia loses, what, a pool of 20? And you just know they'll allow the KHL to put players in.

 

 Didn't Ovechkin and malkin say they were playing this year no matter what the NHL said?

[WingNut722]

@flyercanuck

 

Indeed they did say that.  And while the league decided to send players anyway, we can only wonder as to what the league may have done if those two opted out.  Since it's Ovechkin and Malkin, my guess is they would have had to pay a paltry fine and maybe miss a couple games.  The league can't afford to severely penalize two of their most gifted (and lucrative) athletes.  Say what you want about them, and Crosby for that matter) but they are bringing attention back to hockey.

 

However, it takes just one serious injury to change all that.  Now Zetterberg's is a pre-existing condition which was reaggravated.  But let's pretend that Stamkos broke his leg in Sochi...and missed the rest of the NHL season as a result.  I think we could say bye-bye to NHL players at the Olympics.

[SpikeDDS]

@WingNut722

 

NHL should give clubs the right to prevent players struggling with known injuries from playing in the games. It should be stated outright that they must do so to protect their game. The parameters of what a "known injury" is should be negotiated between the players' union and the league, but it should be done. The league has a right to protect their game. There is a reason these foreign players left their homelands to play in the NHL. It's good for them, and so long as they don't pose an obvious risk of becoming injured, they should be able to participate. But the league/teams should have final say on the questionable ones. (Again, gotta negotiate what "questionable" means.)

 

That's my answer and I'm sticking to it.

[WingNut722]

@SpikeDDS

 

It all makes sense, Spike, but I think your conclusion is too open-ended.  The key to your argument hinges upon negotiating what "questionable" means.  It's a perfectly clear-cut question, but I think it is a huge gray area.  It could be a never ending argument based on the type of injury and the prestige of the player suffering from it.  Even the the team's playoff chances are all things that can be argued/considered/negotiated.  Concussions are clearly going to be a sticking point here.  In the end, there needs to be some ultimate accountability if indeed, the player in question gets hurt or aggravates a pre-existing condition while participating in the Olympics.  Who would ultimately be responsible, and what kind of penalties would they face?  It's an extremely fine line the League needs to walk in order to protect their sport but at the same time, allowing these players to return to represent their home nations on the world stage.      

[jammer2]

@WingNut722  Your post seems like a built in excuse that Lord Gary needs to end the Olympic experiment once and for all. I think it's good for the sport, but the ratings speak for themselves, the USA ratings are WAY down for the hockey portion of the Olympics, the very spot where the USA was hoping to gain ground. That may change, depending on how the US fairs in the medal rounds coming up. An early US exit would be very bad for future NHL commitment. A USA Gold would virtually guarantee further Olympic involvement. It sounds simplified, but that's how I see it playing out.

[Polaris922]

@WingNut722 Your post seems like a built in excuse that Lord Gary needs to end the Olympic experiment once and for all. I think it's good for the sport, but the ratings speak for themselves, the USA ratings are WAY down for the hockey portion of the Olympics, the very spot where the USA was hoping to gain ground. That may change, depending on how the US fairs in the medal rounds coming up. An early US exit would be very bad for future NHL commitment. A USA Gold would virtually guarantee further Olympic involvement. It sounds simplified, but that's how I see it playing out.

Of course ratings are down... 7:30 am games on weekdays? Most hockey fans are employed, contributing members of society! Lol

[jammer2]

@Polaris922  ha ha....I've been working midnights, and watching everything during the day, so never thought of it from that perspective....yeah, that *would* contribute, huh?

[WingNut722]

@WingNut722  Your post seems like a built in excuse that Lord Gary needs to end the Olympic experiment once and for all. I think it's good for the sport, but the ratings speak for themselves, the USA ratings are WAY down for the hockey portion of the Olympics, the very spot where the USA was hoping to gain ground. That may change, depending on how the US fairs in the medal rounds coming up. An early US exit would be very bad for future NHL commitment. A USA Gold would virtually guarantee further Olympic involvement. It sounds simplified, but that's how I see it playing out.

 

 

Please please PLEASE don't put me in the same room with Bettman.  I am not taking his side at all.  Frankly, I think NHL players should compete in the Olympics.  They are the world's best players, so I don't understand the logic in disallowing them that opportunity.  There is not a sufficient "business" reason in the universe that will convince me that NHL players should hang back for two weeks.  There is no way you can explain anybody to John and Jane American, Sven and Elka Swede, or Sergei and Tatyana Russian how it makes sense to clearly reduce their country's chances of winning gold by excluding certain players.

[radoran]

@WingNut722  Your post seems like a built in excuse that Lord Gary needs to end the Olympic experiment once and for all. I think it's good for the sport, but the ratings speak for themselves, the USA ratings are WAY down for the hockey portion of the Olympics, the very spot where the USA was hoping to gain ground. That may change, depending on how the US fairs in the medal rounds coming up. An early US exit would be very bad for future NHL commitment. A USA Gold would virtually guarantee further Olympic involvement. It sounds simplified, but that's how I see it playing out.

 

The games are on in the early morning or, at best, Noon (like today's USA/CZE game). That's not at all "prime time viewing" for anyone.

 

I do expect the medal games to get some attention and whatever USA knockouts (the number of people who apparently will be playing hooky to watch the game is staggering, if anecdotal evidence is to be believed). But there's no way that Americans are getting up at 7 to watch Russia/Finland. Simply won't happen.

 

If the NHL pulled out, wouldn't surprise me to see some guys going on three-year contracts to be able to get a KHL deal for the Olympic year. If the players want to keep going, I think the NHL is pretty much going to be locked in.

 

Some addiitonal attention to injury rules and other tweaks would be great for both sides.