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Concussion sidelines Howse |
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Written by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
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Sunday, 05 October 2008 |
Citizen photo by Brent BraatenChilliwack Bruins Ryan Howse watches Saturdays game from the stands. (Brent Braaten, Photographer)
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One night after absorbing the worst hit in his hockey career, the emerging star with the Chilliwack Bruins was trying to get his wits about him and feel confidence the vomiting was over.
Howse, 17, was stopped dead in his tracks in the final minute of Friday’s game between the Bruins and Prince George Cougars at CN Centre. The hit, hard and clean and delivered by Cougars defenceman Colin Scherger, was so solid the crowd barely cheered its result -- it was more of a collective gasp that went up as Howse went to the ice, a small pool of blood on the ice below him.
The best description of the hit, which will not bring any supplemental discipline for Scherger, is to visualize a bag of potatoes being thrown against a brick wall. Howse, head down, was caught by Scherger in the neutral zone.
“It’s a concussion, and minimum seven days,” said Howse, the former third-overall bantam pick and a Prince George minor hockey product.
“Hopefully I heal quickly and get back on the bike and on the ice.”
The blunt force of the hit makes that unlikely. Before Howse can play again, he has to be symptom-free for a week -- no nausea, dizzyness.
Howse was on the ice, mostly on all fours, while being attended to by teammates and the trainer. When he finally left for the dressing room, he had to be helped by two Bruins. Doctors did what they could in the dressing room, then Howse had to be aided up the stairs at CN Centre.
He spent more than two hours at Prince George Regional Hospital, checked over for broken bones and a concussion. Howse did not return to Chilliwack with his team on Saturday, deciding instead to stay in Prince George, sleep in his own bed, and recover where his mom Roxanne can take care of him. After tests are done and Howse shows improvement, the Bruins will fly him south.
“I’m feeling pretty sick, so I’ll stay back until I feel a lot better,” said Howse, a former major midget star with the Cariboo Cougars.
“I’m going to stay, relax and rest. I’m not supposed to be watching any TV or doing too much thinking,” he added, before showing he hadn’t had his sense of humour knocked out of him: “That won’t be tough for me.”
Howse watched two periods of Saturday’s game, leaving when his team was down 3-0 -- they would rebound with a trio of goals in the third, forcing overtime before the Cougars won it in overtime.
“Obviously, I’d love to be out there playing hockey rather than sitting at home,” said Howse, a draft-eligible winger who has two goals and an assist in five games this season.
“To be honest, I don’t remember much about the hit, or there being blood on the ice. I remember being hit, then sitting in the hospital later that night. I’m sore in the ribs, and I’ve been sick a lot. They checked my neck and ribs and everything was fine. I remember getting a pass and skating up, and I didn’t see him at all. I had my head up and he came from the side and made good impact. It’s just one of the things that’s going to happen in hockey, and it’s too bad it was me.”
Howse said he’s been feeling effects since leaving the hospital.
“It’s hard for me to make good conversation and talk about it all,” said Howse.
If there is a silver lining, it’s that the situation happened in Prince George where Roxanne could be here to help Ryan. Had this taken place in, say, Brandon, or Portland, his mom would’ve been left wondering what happened, how he’s doing, and feeling helpless.
“Yeah, that would’ve made it a lot tougher, so this or Chilliwack is the better place for this to happen,” said Howse.
“She’s handling it like any mother would, I guess, but she’s worried. She knows I’ll be OK.”
Bruins head coach Jim Hiller was hoping Howse would be back in Chilliwack within a few days. He didn’t plan to go over video to show the sophomore about the dangers of flying over the middle.
“Oh, I don’t think I’ll have to tell him, I think he’ll know that,” said the coach.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 05 October 2008 )
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