Across sports, concussions rank among the more frustrating injuries for athletes to suffer, in large part due to the nonlinear nature of the recovery process.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Blake Lizotte is working his way back from a concussion suffered Nov. 13 vs. the Detroit Red Wings when a puck struck him in the face as he stood in front of the net.
The unpredictability of symptoms, which can vary significantly, adds a challenging element into recovering.
“Every concussion is different,” Lizotte said. “With head injuries, sometimes you’ve got really bad symptoms, sometimes it’s hardly anything. Sometimes reading is bad but (watching) TV is fine, sometimes the TV is bad but reading’s fine.
“With concussions, there’s not really a clear-cut rehab program other than dealing with the symptoms that are presented in that certain concussion. With each one it’s always a little different. But generally, there’s an outline with it, for sure.”
Fellow forward Cody Glass also has been sidelined with a concussion, which he sustained Nov. 7 vs. the Carolina Hurricanes.
Illustrating the variance in individual rehabilitation from concussions is Lizotte appearing to be closer to returning than Glass, despite Glass’ occurring roughly a week earlier.
For Glass, regularly self-evaluating how he’s feeling to the Penguins’ medical staff can be difficult.
“It’s brutal,” Glass said. “You can’t rush it. It’s kind of me that has the judgement of everything and how I feel. You can’t really see (symptoms) on anything. You might see signs throughout the day with the way I’ve been acting.
“It’s frustrating at times, especially because you feel really good one day and the next day, you take a step backward. Hopefully, it just keeps trending in the right direction and I can just keep going, keep moving forward.”
Coach Mike Sullivan provided a uniform status update for both players following Tuesday’s practice in Cranberry.
“They were both full-contact today,” Sullivan said. “Their status is day-to-day. I don’t think that’s changed but the fact that they’re full-contact is the next progression to the return-to-play process. It’s the final step to the return-to-play process.”
Notably, Lizotte partook in line rushes with the Penguins, centering a third line with Michael Bunting and Drew O’Connor, while Glass did not.
Unfortunately for Lizotte, this is not the first brush he’s had with a concussion this season.
A freak play during the preseason on Sept. 29 saw a puck strike him in the head while he was sitting on the bench and led to an absence of just over a month.
As a result, Lizotte missed the first 11 games of the regular season.
Both Lizotte and Glass are first-year players with the Penguins.
Seeing his season derailed before it even started weighed on Lizotte, who was disappointed at not being able to hit the ground running in Pittsburgh.
“It’s for sure frustrating, especially being in a new organization, a new team and not being able to come out of the gates with everybody,” he said.
Lizotte’s latest concussion vs. Detroit was his second in only 46 days.
While the risk of future concussions and injuries in general will remain ever-present due to the physical essence of hockey, Lizotte is choosing not to let concerns of that sort govern him.
“I think every player thinks about it in today’s pro sports that are contact sports,” Lizotte said. “For me personally, I think during the game, you’re not thinking about it. You’re just going to go out and play.
“For me, it’s not really a thought in my head amidst a shift. But over time, you definitely start thinking about those things in terms of post-hockey, but for me right now, it’s not a concern.”
Note: Penguins video coach Madison Nikkel was announced as an addition to the United States Men’s National Team’s staff ahead of the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.