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Meltzer's Musings: Injuries,Worlds, Three Anniversaries |
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GIROUX, GOSTISBEHERE NEED SAME SURGERY
Speaking to reporters in a Saturday afternoon conference call, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall announced that team captain Claude Giroux and Calder Trophy finalist defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere would each undergo right hip and sports hernia surgeries on Tuesday.
Both players are expected to be ready for training camp, according to Hextall. The surgery has about a 10- to 12-week recovery timetable and the players will be able to start conditioning work about five weeks post-op. The procedure is the same one that Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn underwent last summer.
Hextall said that the Giroux and Gostisbehere surgeries are the only two slated for Flyers players this off-season. The GM added that Jakub Voracek (foot fracture recovery) and Sean Couturier (shoulder injury in Game One of the playoffs) are both doing fine now.
The GM noted how far sports medicine has come since the 1980s and 1990s in its understanding and treatment of hip issues and sports hernias. He is absolutely correct. Even about 20 years ago, the regimen for treating such injuries was primitive compared to today.
During training camp of 1995, Legion of Doom right winger Mikael Renberg was diagnosed with a sports hernia and treated with a then-common, now-obsolete operation with surgical mesh. Two weeks later, he was on the ice for opening night in Montreal (and scored a goal and an assist).
For about 10 weeks, all seemed to be fine. Renberg was averaging well over a point-per-game and was on a 40-plus goal pace. In December, though, his skating started to seem labored and his effectiveness was sporadic. He played through it for about a month.
In mid-January 1996, the Flyers shut Renberg down with what was called an "abdominal muscle strain." He was in and out of the lineup the rest of the season, undergoing pain-killing injections to be able to suit up. When he played, however, he was nowhere close to his accustomed form except in an isolated few games or sporadic shifts. After the playoffs, it was revealed that Renberg's abdominal muscles had torn completely away from the pubic bone this time and that he had come back too soon the first time.
Renberg had another surgery that summer. Although he came back to play and had an OK career thereafter, he was never again the dominant player he had been before. The almost freakish core strength he once had -- a big part of his game that made him so effective his first 2 1/2 seasons-- just wasn't there anymore no matter how hard he trained.
Another Flyers player from that era, Shawn Antoski, also had a bilateral tear and had the mesh procedure done. If people remember Anton as a player, they will recall that, apart from fighting prowess, the reason why he'd been a first-round pick back in 1990 was that he was a big guy who could skate like the wind. The drop-off when he was dealing with the injury was quite noticeable.
At any rate, 20 to 30 years ago, players who had those core muscle injuries and the related problems that often follow from overcompensating often either had recurring issues, were never quite the same as players thereafter because the rehab was not as advanced as it is today or the original issue simply went undiagnosed for longer.
Hextall said that Giroux, who took frequent (but not constant) maintenance days, dealt with his issue throughout the second half of the season. Gostisbehere's issue arose near the end of the season. The surgery is somewhat pre-emptive to avoid worsening problems down the line. This is not an issue that goes away with rest.
Nowadays, the recovery cycle is so much more advanced. Benn didn't skip a beat this season and actually won the Art Ross Trophy last season while dealing with the issue in both hips. His surgery was a pre-emptive one.
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IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS UPDATES
Flyers center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare has four points (one goal, three assists) in his first five games for Team France at the 2016 IIHF World Championships. The veteran forward, an alternate captain for the national team, centers the top line.
France (2-3-0, with one of the wins in overtime) is in sixth place in Group B during the preliminary round. The will be a major underdog against Canada on Monday but their key game will be against Belarus (1-5-0) in Tuesday's preliminary round finale. If France can win that game in regulation, they have at least a shot at leapfrogging Slovakia (games against Finland and USA) and Germany to advance to the medal round. Germany, whom the French beat in the opener, would have to lose to USA and Hungary. The latter would an upset if it happened.
Phantoms defenseman Christian Marti has dressed in two games for Switzerland and has been a healthy scratch in the other three. Switzerland (2-1-2 with one win beyond regulation) is currently holding the last Group A medal round spot by one point over Denmark and Latvia. The remaining games for the Swiss are against Sweden on Sunday and the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
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MAY 15: THREE SIGNIFICANT FLYERS ANNIVERSARIES
Three significant events in Flyers history took place on May 15.
In 1973, the Flyers reacquired goaltender Bernie Parent from the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 1980, right winger Paul Holmgren became the first American player to score a hat trick in a Stanley Cup Final game. In 1984, one era of franchise history ended and another simultaneously began. Bob Clarke and the Flyers announced his retirement as an active player and his hiring as general manager to replace Bob McCammon.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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