The Caps might get some added strength on the blue line if Brian Pothier can continue his comeback. Pothier has been out since January 2008 after suffering his fourth concussion. He recently started a rehab assignment with the Caps' top farm team, the Hershey Bears. And he's hoping for a call-up.
Coming back from concussions is difficult, and once you have one, you're generally more prone to getting them again. With the number he's had already, it's always a danger for him to step on the ice.
That fact certainly weighed in his mind -- at least 'til his first hit. He told the Times, "I made a pass, and then [Ryan Hollweg] hit me and I sorta landed on him. It was a good collision and I felt fine, felt great. That was the one hit that I guess you could say sorta gave me some confidence that stuff was still working pretty good."
He hasn't had any post-concussion symptoms since December, since doctors gave him a set of glasses that help straighten his vision out.
One of the nerves that controlled eye movement was damaged in a hit, which blurred his vision. He went through a course of vision therapy, which basically taught him how to see all over again, and it's worked.
The blurriness and dizziness are gone.
So the 31-year-old is back in Hershey, toiling with kids 10 years his junior, all in an effort to get back to where he was.
He's shown a ton of dedication, and maybe just a tiny bit of craziness.
With luck, it'll all pay off.
Chris Needham used to write Capitol Punishment. Sometimes he sees double, too.
