The good news is Jake LeBrun has resumed practising with the Prince George Spruce Kings.
The bad news is there's another head case troubling the injury-plagued B.C. Hockey League team.
LeBrun has been involved in no-contact workouts all this week at the Coliseum and is showing no symptoms of the concussion he suffered Oct. 4 on home ice after getting pushed from behind headfirst into the boards by Vernon Vipers defenceman Mark Hamilton.
"It's been tough watching the team play and tough just sitting at home, I've never had three weeks where I've literally done nothing," said LeBrun, who led the Kings in scoring at the time of his injury with eight goals in 10 games. "I know some guys get dizziness and nausea but for me it was just pounding headaches that would come and go randomly through the day."
Hamilton received a two-game suspension for his hit, a punishment LeBrun figures did not fit the crime. It was the first-ever concussion for the 18-year-old native of Prince George, who started playing hockey when he was four. The impact wiped out his memory of that day, which ended with a 3-0 Kings win and a ride to the hospital.
"It was near the end of the game so they were probably pretty frustrated," said LeBrun. "Being hit like that, I probably should have stayed down and waited for somebody to come out and help me but I just got up and it didn't look nearly as bad as it was. I remember waking up for breakfast in the morning and then waking up in the hospital the next day. I think he definitely deserved more games for that hit."
LeBrun, a right winger, plans to return to full-contact practices next week and if there's no sign of recurring headaches he should be ready to play next weekend when the Spruce Kings host the Surrey Eagles in a two-game home series. He won't make the trip this weekend to Trail, Vernon and Salmon Arm.
"I've been fine for a couple weeks now but I'm a little out of shape, I only started exercising last week, riding the bike and going for walks or runs," said LeBrun. "It's been tough for the team but they've showed a lot of character. Everybody goes out and works hard and we just find ways to win."
The Kings (11-7-1-2) have five forwards in sick bay, three of whom are out with concussions. Sean Landrey became the latest victim Saturday after he had the feet taken out from under him while trying to break through the Langley Rivermen defence late in the Kings' 3-2 double-overtime loss in Langley. Landrey slid on his back into the end boards and hit his head.
The previous night in Surrey, Cole Todd was nailed by an illegal shoulder check to the head and the Kings lost Justin Rai to a head injury. Neither forward will play this weekend. The Kings are also without captain Bryant Christian, out for at least the next six weeks with a broken jaw. Just before LeBrun got hurt, a concussion knocked top-line left winger Brent Lashuk out of the Kings' lineup for five games.
As much as he could use the six-foot-one, 215-pound LeBrun this weekend, Kings head coach Dave Dupas realizes the time factor involved in his recovery. If any of LeBrun's symptoms return, he'll start the recovery process from scratch and that will mean another month on the sidelines.
"We have 30 more games after he gets back here and we want to make sure he's 100 per cent and that there's no little hit that will sideline him for the rest of the season," said Dupas.
To fill in for the injured players, the Kings will pick up junior B forwards Donovan Law and Connor Sloan from the 100 Mile House Wranglers of the KIJHL. Sloan, 18, leads the Wranglers in scoring with 10 goals and 22 points in 20 games. Law, a 16-year-old Prince George native, has six points in six KIJHL games since joining the Wranglers from the Cariboo Cougars major midget team.
Goalie Jesse Jenks is still playing for Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge tournament in Nova Scotia. Until he returns, Tate Sproxton of Surrey will be backing up 20-year-old Kings goalie Alex Murray.
