Eric Bolte-USA TODAY
The Philadelphia Flyers have had quite the history with concussions, as recent as Danny Briere, who returned to the lineup for the Flyers’ win over the Montreal Canadiens Monday night. But the injury wheel spun again and this time landed on newly acquired defenseman Kent Huskins when Habs’ winger Ryan White checked him directly in the chin. The hit came in the first period of the 7-3 rout and was brutal as it sounds, sending Huskins spinning around the ice, unaware of his surroundings.
The official call on the ice was elbowing, even though replays showed White’s shoulder smashing Huskins jaw, but the damage was done either way. White earned a double-minor and a match penalty, but Huskins earned a trip to the “quiet room” and then eventually left the building. White has an in-person hearing with the Department of Player Safety, which means the suspension can be over six games, although nothing is guaranteed.
In response, Huskins’s defense partner, Kurtis Foste,r went after White, earning himself a boatload of penalty minutes in the process. The team has recalled Matt Konan and Brandon Manning from the Adirondack Phantoms to fill in the already vapid blue line, although both youngsters have less than half of Huskins’s experience combined.
Beyond Huskins and Briere, Wayne Simmonds, Nicklas Grossmann, and Marc-Andre Bourdon have all been hit with concussions this year. Add in the Chris Pronger and Eric Lindros debacles and you see how the Flyers have had their share of terrible concussion woes over the franchise’s history.
