While discussing the NHL’s concussion protocol and the status of Avalanche defenseman Chris Bigras, coach Patrick Roy recalled an incident when he was playing for the Montreal Canadiens.
“I’d like to think it’s always been something that teams always have been aware of and have taken care of, even in my day,” Roy said of concussions after practice Monday.
He added,”I hit my head on the ice when i was skating with my son (Jonathan) and we were playing in Montreal the following game. There was no way I was missing that game.
“They told me that maybe it was not a good idea to play, but it was my decision. Now, it’s more the team decision to say you’re not playing, period. It stops there. In every sport, everybody’s doing a good job to make sure that the players are not playing with some symptoms.”
Did Roy play that game?
“Yes,” he said. “You know I would not miss a game in Montreal. Obviously, we won.”
Yes, it’s different now. When Bigras, 20, reported to team personnel in the wake of the Avalanche’s March 5 home game against Nashville that he was having headaches and slightly blurred vision, he was shut down. After missing three games, he rejoined his teammates at practice Monday and was closer to returning to the lineup, perhaps as soon as Wednesday at Vancouver.
“He’s going to have to pass one more test, and if it’s good, he’ll play the next game,” Roy said.
Said Bigras: “I’m feeling better. There’s still a couple of steps left in the whole process … I just have to pass the tests and stuff. I’m not getting any symptoms right now. We’ll see how that goes and go from there.”
The odds of him playing Wednesday?
“It’s something you don’t want to mess with, your head, for sure, but I’m feeling pretty good out there, had a good day out there. It’s the first time skating and it felt good to get back on the ice.”
Bigras couodn’t pinpoint when he was injured.
“It was a pretty innocent play,” he said. “It wasn’t a huge hit or anything. Sometimes those things just happen, get you in the wrong spot. The important thing now is that I’m feeling better.”
Bigras played 11 minutes against the Predators.
“I ended up finishing the game,” he said. “But it was something that I wasn’t exactly sure (about), I’ve never had one before. So I’m not sure exactly how it felt like. But once I did bring it to them, they assessed it and it turned out to be one.”
Bigras, 20, has a goal and an assist in 23 games. Zach Redmond replaced him in the third pairing with Eric Gelinas.
Footnotes. Roy said Semyon Varlamov will start in goal Wednesday at Vancouver and Friday at Calgary, and Calvin Pickard will play at Edmonton Sunday. . . Defenseman Tyson Barrie didn’t practice Monday and Roy said he had come out of the Sunday Winnipeg game with a minor hamstring injury. But Roy said his absence was more about “maintenance” than an injury … The Avalanche again will practice at Family Sports Tuesday before leaving for Vancouver.
Terry Frei: tfrei@denverpost.com or @TFrei
