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Team before self Lindros kept playing to avoid letting Flyers down
Posted: Thursday March 23, 2000 10:59 PM
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Eric Lindros' strained relationship with the Philadelphia Flyers grew more tense Thursday. For the first time since it was revealed that Lindros has a more serious concussion than originally believed, the Flyers captain discussed his injury and questioned the competence of the team's medical staff. "I knew that things were not good, and I tried to convey that through my symptoms. But I was not going to pull myself out of the game," Lindros said. "I wanted the team to pull me out. I was hoping as the week went on that they would do that." Lindros will be sidelined 4-6 weeks, past the April 12 start of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The 27-year-old center played four more games after being hit in the jaw by Boston's Hal Gill on March 4. He missed a March 13 game at Phoenix and was hospitalized two days later for tests. He was released Friday, but barred from practicing pending another examination. Before examining Lindros, team doctor Jeff Hartzell said the player did not have a concussion, but was suffering from a migraine. Carl Lindros, the player's father and agent, said he believed his son was suffering from a migraine caused by stress. Lindros was examined Tuesday by Dr. James Kelly, a neurologist at Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago. Kelly determined Lindros had a Grade II concussion, which can cause memory loss and requires a longer recovery time. He said he would see Lindros again in 30 days. "I have to admit I wasn't pounding down the notion that I was experiencing real bad headaches," Lindros said. "I had missed five games, and I wanted to keep playing. That's the mentality of a player." Lindros also said he did not want to reveal his injury for fear it would jeopardize the chances of the team acquiring Ray Bourque, the longtime Boston defenseman who ultimately was traded to Colorado. But those weren't the only reasons Lindros hid his injury. "Another reason why I kept playing is because the environment here is interesting," Lindros said. "The last time I had a concussion, I didn't talk to Clarke (general manager Bobby Clarke) for three weeks. Then he said off the record that my agent was a fool and disruptive for insisting the team follow return-to-play guidelines." Lindros said he hasn't spoken to Clarke or Flyers chairman Ed Snider about this injury. Neither Snider nor Clarke was available for comment before or after the Flyers' 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. However, the team issued an organizational statement, which read, "Based upon Eric Lindros' comments today, it is obvious that he and the Philadelphia Flyers have different perspectives concerning the medical judgments that are made following his most recent injury. However, this in no way impacts the high level of confidence we have in the integrity and skill of our training staff and medical team." Clarke last week angrily denied reports that the team mishandled Lindros' injury. "If Eric feels he has a headache, we didn't know he had a concussion. If he has a headache, what are we supposed to do about it?" Clarke said. Lindros, a restricted free agent after the season, made it clear he is not happy with his situation. "There are a lot of things that go on here that are good and there's a lot that goes on that isn't good," Lindros said. "There's a lot of stress. Hockey shouldn't be like that. Hockey should be you just strap on the skates and go out and play. You get injured, you heal and get back out and play. All this other stuff is really frustrating. I haven't said anything in the past. I'm real unhappy with what's gone on here." Kelly said the injury is not career-threatening. But this is Lindros' fourth concussion since March 1998. His younger brother, Brett Lindros, was forced to retire from the NHL in 1996 after suffering three concussions with the New York Islanders and an undetermined number of concussions in juniors.
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