| | PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Flyers star Eric Lindros will miss the rest of the regular season and at least one round of the NHL playoffs while he recovers from his fourth concussion in two years.
| |  | |
| Lindros |
Lindros was diagnosed with a concussion that was more serious than originally thought and will be sidelined four to six weeks.
"We always want Eric to be in the lineup, but more important we want Eric to be healthy," Flyers coach Craig Ramsay said Wednesday. "If he is out 30 days and it makes him healthy then it's good for us."
Lindros was unavailable for comment.
The 27-year-old center was hospitalized March 15 for treatment of recurring headaches after he was hit in the jaw by Boston's Hal Gill on March 4.
Lindros underwent tests on his brain, and played four more games.
He missed a March 13 game at Phoenix before being hospitalized two days later. He had been barred from practicing or playing pending another examination.
Dr. James Kelly, a neurologist at Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago, examined Lindros on Tuesday and concluded he had a Grade II concussion, which can cause memory loss and require a longer recovery time.
Last week, Flyers team physician Jeff Hartzell said Lindros had a Grade I concussion, the least-severe category.
Hartzell asked Kelly if Lindros' injury was career-threatening.
"He did not think events as they played out over the last three weeks posed any threat to Eric as a hockey player or as a person," Hartzell said. "He said this is not the threshold for retirement. A number of players have had that many concussions and more."
Dr. Stephen Silberstein, a neurologist with the Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, said that Lindros had made his headaches worse by taking excessive amounts of painkillers.
The concussion was Lindros' fourth since March 1998. His younger brother, Brett, was forced to retire from the NHL in 1996 after sustaining three concussions with the New York Islanders and an undetermined number in junior play.
Last year, Lindros missed the final seven games of the regular season and the playoffs because of a collapsed right lung. He also missed part of the playoffs six years because of an eye injury.
"And now here we are again, and that's a heap of bad luck for a young man," Hartzell said. "I think he was relieved to know what the story is exactly, and disappointed that he is not going to be a part of at least the next six weeks of the team's activities.
Lindros has missed 15 games this season because of concussions, headaches, back spasms, a bruised left hand and a viral infection. In 55 games, he has 27 goals and 32 assists. | |
ALSO SEE
 Morganti: Lindros done in Philly?
Flyers' Clarke says Lindros treatment never mishandled
Flyers coach Neilson should rejoin team sooner than expected
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Dr. Stephen Silberstein comments on Lindros' ailment.
wav: 213 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
 |
