Injury Report: Bryan Little

[Evil Little]

that is a silly take.

If he shows up for camp it's because he wants to play again. he has a contract and the Jets will be duty bound to honor it.

if he feels he can come back and play then we should applaud him for coming back from such a horrific injury

Your theory assumes they haven't communicated. I'm sure they talked to him before spending his LTIR overage and basically got his sign-off--perhaps only for this year under which Stastny is under contract,.

In any case, Little knows how much it would f*** up the Jets' cap if he just showed up for work some day out of the blue. He won't do that, just like no other LTIR player for any other team has ever done that.

 

[DRW204]

hearing - and seeing - what happened to the KHL player Timur Fayzutdinov (RIP), that was such a freak accident and result but still, that could have been Little.

 

[Skidooboy]

Your theory assumes they haven't communicated. I'm sure they talked to him before spending his LTIR overage and basically got his sign-off--perhaps only for this year under which Stastny is under contract,.

In any case, Little knows how much it would f*** up the Jets' cap if he just showed up for work some day out of the blue. He won't do that, just like no other LTIR player for any other team has ever done that.

IF Little never shows up again it's because he isn't healthy enough...right now all reports say Little is still trying to get back to playing.....Players wanna play and should NEVER give a crap about cap...that's the GM's issue. If there was a player who was more concerned with cap issues than playing, I wouldn't want them on the team.


personally I hope little makes it back.

 

[Evil Little]

IF Little never shows up again it's because he isn't healthy enough...right now all reports say Little is still trying to get back to playing.....Players wanna play and should NEVER give a crap about cap...that's the GM's issue. If there was a player who was more concerned with cap issues than playing, I wouldn't want them on the team.


personally I hope little makes it back.

I'm curious about what the most recent reports are (and when they're from). I don't recall hearing anything.

And this is a romantic notion but not really in line with how things have ever played out. Players haven't just showed up off LTIR and screwed their teams' cap, despite continued opportunity. Lupul even seemed to put the Leafs on blast from Robidas island and nothing at all came of that.

In any case, the Jets' FO will, at the very least, be asking Little yearly if he expects to return before spending his LTIR relief, so to go on the internet and doomsay a scenario where Little just shows up one day and f***s the whole cap is pointless and foolish and completely expected for this board.

 

[cheswick]

I'm curious about what the most recent reports are (and when they're from). I don't recall hearing anything.

And this is a romantic notion but not really in line with how things have ever played out. Players haven't just showed up off LTIR and screwed their teams' cap, despite continued opportunity. Lupul even seemed to put the Leafs on blast from Robidas island and nothing at all came of that.

In any case, the Jets' FO will, at the very least, be asking Little yearly if he expects to return before spending his LTIR relief, so to go on the internet and doomsay a scenario where Little just shows up one day and f***s the whole cap is pointless and foolish and completely expected for this board.

I don't think there is anything new. Oct it was announced he would miss the season. In Aug he did the year end availability and at the time he indicated that he would like to return but it was up to receiving an ok from doctors that he wouldn't be at any increased risk. He didn't know what kind off time frame he was willing to take to get that ok before deciding he was done.

Head injuries are tricky. Crosby missed 100 games over 2 seasons because of it and came back relatively fine. Given Little's age though I'm guessing he's probably done.

 

[Evil Little]

I don't think there is anything new. Oct it was announced he would miss the season. In Aug he did the year end availability and at the time he indicated that he would like to return but it was up to receiving an ok from doctors that he wouldn't be at any increased risk. He didn't know what kind off time frame he was willing to take to get that ok before deciding he was done.

Head injuries are tricky. Crosby missed 100 games over 2 seasons because of it and came back relatively fine. Given Little's age though I'm guessing he's probably done.

Thanks.

Was his year-end remote?

As an aside, though, I believe Crosby was eventually diagnosed with what was actually a neck injury and his recovery was much more striaght-forward after receiving the proper diagnosis.

 

[cheswick]

Thanks.

Was his year-end remote?

As an aside, though, I believe Crosby was eventually diagnosed with what was actually a neck injury and his recovery was much more striaght-forward after receiving the proper diagnosis.

Yes it was. He mentioned he was at home in ON. He rented an RV to drive home because he couldn't fly due to his ear surgery.

 

[Evil Little]

Yes it was. He mentioned he was at home in ON. He rented an RV to drive home because he couldn't fly due to his ear surgery.

Oh, right.

 

[OysterForever]

Sorry, can't read all of the replies, but what is summary of Little's condition? He got hit by a puck on the side of his head, was there any surgeries or anything done afterwards? What makes him unfit to play? Post-concussion syndrome?

 

[BoJet]

Sorry, can't read all of the replies, but what is summary of Little's condition? He got hit by a puck on the side of his head, was there any surgeries or anything done afterwards? What makes him unfit to play? Post-concussion syndrome?

A slap shot hit him right in the earhole. Punched a big hole in his eardrum that required surgery with many stitches. Alongside concussion symptoms he suffered from vertigo and bad hearing for quite some time. Apparently it's healed up relatively well, whatever that means, but he was barred from any kind of physical activity for a long stretch. Wasn't even allowed to drive on his own or lift up his daughter.

So the good news is he's doing better, but regarding long term effects and risks the jury still seems to be out. Not sure if he's allowed to fully exercise at this point. Best case scenario, it's up to him.

But even if he's ever deemed fit to play again, it's the kind of injury that makes you reevaluate your priorities in life, especially when you're 33 and much of your playing career is behind you anyway. Risk/reward may not be in his favor and no one would blame him if he calls it quits. We'll wait and see.

 

[blues10]

Reading through the thread and seeing that Little was unable to fly home at the end of the season. How exactly did he get to Barrie for his jersey retirement night in January 2020? and travel with the Jets on their moms road trip? I assume he was flying? Did he fly too soon and aggravate the injury?

I know he was pretty close to returning to the team at one point and was skating in a yellow jersey.

is there any chance he flew to Barrie and it caused the injury to flare up? He was shutdown for the season 2 weeks after the jersey retirement night.

Bryan Little becomes first Colt to have his number retired - OrilliaMatters.com

https://illegalcurve.com/status-of-injured-winnipeg-jets-players-and-projecting-their-return/

 

[enuffidiotsalready]

just in to vote for
-leave the guy alone!!! please!!!

showing myself out now......

 

[TS Quint]

He is done. He does not care about the cap. He got hit with a full on slap shot to the head. He is injured. He isn’t going to get another contract. He seems like a smart man and probably insured himself out the arse. He isn’t going to risk that to come back at this point in his life. There is zero upside for him.

 

[rubikscube]

Poor guy. Gave his heart and soul to the team. Class act through and through.

Take your health and your 25 million dollar extension and live a happy life

 

[surixon]

He is done. He does not care about the cap. He got hit with a full on slap shot to the head. He is injured. He isn’t going to get another contract. He seems like a smart man and probably insured himself out the arse. He isn’t going to risk that to come back at this point in his life. There is zero upside for him.

Yup he will have "retired" by next year. By "retired" I mean him admitting his career is over without filing official retirement papers so that he collects the remainder of his salary like Seabroke is doing in Chicago.

 

[Evil Little]

He is done. He does not care about the cap. He got hit with a full on slap shot to the head. He is injured. He isn’t going to get another contract. He seems like a smart man and probably insured himself out the arse. He isn’t going to risk that to come back at this point in his life. There is zero upside for him.

If you think I was trying to say that the Jets' cap is guiding whether he'll play hockey again, I'm not. Just that he knows that they need to make contingency plans in his absence and unless he is angry at the team he's not going to show up out-of-the-blue like some Eeyores in this thread are supposing.

 

[AlaskaJet]

I don't think there is anything new. Oct it was announced he would miss the season. In Aug he did the year end availability and at the time he indicated that he would like to return but it was up to receiving an ok from doctors that he wouldn't be at any increased risk. He didn't know what kind off time frame he was willing to take to get that ok before deciding he was done.

Head injuries are tricky. Crosby missed 100 games over 2 seasons because of it and came back relatively fine. Given Little's age though I'm guessing he's probably done.

Have to agree with you, but almost all head injuries are cerebrum-related, upper brain..
But in Little’s case it was primarily vestibular-inner ear, with balance being the issue..I’m holding out a good chunk of hope that he may recover enough vestibular function to have a shot at returning..as long as previous concussion injuries don’t play into the mix..

 

[Krauser]

Have to agree with you, but almost all head injuries are cerebrum-related, upper brain..
But in Little’s case it was primarily vestibular-inner ear, with balance being the issue..I’m holding out a good chunk of hope that he may recover enough vestibular function to have a shot at returning..as long as previous concussion injuries don’t play into the mix..

I don’t think it’s at all likely that Little’s injury was mainly to the inner ear.

There was an uncomfirmed report from soon after the injury that he had bleeding in the brain. Given the mechanism of injury, I speculated at the time (I’m a neurologist) that he could have had a contusion, which is basically a bruise in the brain.

A more severe brain injury like a contusion would explain why he wasn’t allowed to fly, and wasn’t cleared to return to play despite being able to skate. The limiting step wouldn’t be persisting symptoms (unlike recovery from concussion, or with a vestibular injury), but safety given the possibility of re-injury. If he had persisting post-concussion symptoms we would probably get reports of him trying therapies to improve those symptoms (like Crosby going to a chiropractor). And if he was off-balance because of vestibular issues, we’d probably get reports of him doing physiotherapy to improve that. But nothing like that has been reported, as far as I know.

The way Little’s case has been managed only make sense to me if he’s been told not to return to play because it would be unsafe for him to risk getting injured again.

 

[Jets 31]

I don’t think it’s at all likely that Little’s injury was mainly to the inner ear.

There was an uncomfirmed report from soon after the injury that he had bleeding in the brain. Given the mechanism of injury, I speculated at the time (I’m a neurologist) that he could have had a contusion, which is basically a bruise in the brain.

A more severe brain injury like a contusion would explain why he wasn’t allowed to fly, and wasn’t cleared to return to play despite being able to skate. The limiting step wouldn’t be persisting symptoms (unlike recovery from concussion, or with a vestibular injury), but safety given the possibility of re-injury. If he had persisting post-concussion symptoms we would probably get reports of him trying therapies to improve those symptoms (like Crosby going to a chiropractor). And if he was off-balance because of vestibular issues, we’d probably get reports of him doing physiotherapy to improve that. But nothing like that has been reported, as far as I know.

The way Little’s case has been managed only make sense to me if he’s been told not to return to play because it would be unsafe for him to risk getting injured again.

I had a bleed in the brain and had to stop all contact sports on the spot and forevermore. I think there are different kinds of bleeds but mine caused a seizure and now i am on anti-seizure medication for the rest of my life and go for yearly MRI's . Just can't see how Little would ever be able to play professional hockey again knowing what i now know about brain bleeds .

 

[cheswick]

I don’t think it’s at all likely that Little’s injury was mainly to the inner ear.

There was an uncomfirmed report from soon after the injury that he had bleeding in the brain. Given the mechanism of injury, I speculated at the time (I’m a neurologist) that he could have had a contusion, which is basically a bruise in the brain.

A more severe brain injury like a contusion would explain why he wasn’t allowed to fly, and wasn’t cleared to return to play despite being able to skate. The limiting step wouldn’t be persisting symptoms (unlike recovery from concussion, or with a vestibular injury), but safety given the possibility of re-injury. If he had persisting post-concussion symptoms we would probably get reports of him trying therapies to improve those symptoms (like Crosby going to a chiropractor). And if he was off-balance because of vestibular issues, we’d probably get reports of him doing physiotherapy to improve that. But nothing like that has been reported, as far as I know.

The way Little’s case has been managed only make sense to me if he’s been told not to return to play because it would be unsafe for him to risk getting injured again.

To you point, he actually said in his season ending presser that he was feeling completely fine. He had no lingering balance or hearing issues, no headaches.

 

[scelaton]

I don’t think it’s at all likely that Little’s injury was mainly to the inner ear.

There was an uncomfirmed report from soon after the injury that he had bleeding in the brain. Given the mechanism of injury, I speculated at the time (I’m a neurologist) that he could have had a contusion, which is basically a bruise in the brain.

A more severe brain injury like a contusion would explain why he wasn’t allowed to fly, and wasn’t cleared to return to play despite being able to skate. The limiting step wouldn’t be persisting symptoms (unlike recovery from concussion, or with a vestibular injury), but safety given the possibility of re-injury. If he had persisting post-concussion symptoms we would probably get reports of him trying therapies to improve those symptoms (like Crosby going to a chiropractor). And if he was off-balance because of vestibular issues, we’d probably get reports of him doing physiotherapy to improve that. But nothing like that has been reported, as far as I know.

The way Little’s case has been managed only make sense to me if he’s been told not to return to play because it would be unsafe for him to risk getting injured again.

Are there decent long term outcome studies on small bleeds in athletes who do, or do not, return to high level sports, or are the recommendations based on an abundance of caution?
It seems to me that this would a difficult group to study, for a variety of reasons.

 

[JetsUK]

Are there decent long term outcome studies on small bleeds in athletes who do, or do not, return to high level sports, or are the recommendations based on an abundance of caution?
It seems to me that this would a difficult group to study, for a variety of reasons.

Yes, there are studies available on concussion-related sports injuries/SRSBIs within communities of student and (more recently) pro athletes, especially given class-action lawsuits in football and rugby. I have sports-meds colleagues in Canada and the UK who work in this area, and in the UK there have been high-profile attempts to gain a better understanding of risks and outcomes again partly due to concerns over liability and mitigation. You're always balancing risk/reward carefully in these cases, especially given the non-linear progression of trauma/recovery.

If I were Little, I'd be more focused on living a healthy life with my family than on a return to the NHL. He's a smart player with tremendous goodwill around the league. I have no doubt that he'd be an asset to the Jets and/or other orgs should he hang up his skates and move into the back or front office.

 

[Jimmyjets]

Yes, there are studies available on concussion-related sports injuries/SRSBIs within communities of student and (more recently) pro athletes, especially given class-action lawsuits in football and rugby. I have sports-meds colleagues in Canada and the UK who work in this area, and in the UK there have been high-profile attempts to gain a better understanding of risks and outcomes again partly due to concerns over liability and mitigation. You're always balancing risk/reward carefully in these cases, especially given the non-linear progression of trauma/recovery.

If I were Little, I'd be more focused on living a healthy life with my family than on a return to the NHL. He's a smart player with tremendous goodwill around the league. I have no doubt that he'd be an asset to the Jets and/or other orgs should he hang up his skates and move into the back or front office.

The reality is he's going to have career earnings of above $65,000,000 and more than 12 years in the NHL. He is lucky that he is able to live a normal life without any long term impact as a result of this accident. If there is any elevated risk that an additional injury could have worse outcomes for him than any other NHL player I think there's only one choice really.

I'd love to see Bryan back, but it feels so very unlikely that it will happen that I don't even consider it a real possibility. When they go to the Mayo clinic again leading up to next season maybe he's fully healed and will come back. Until then, it's pretty clear he's not going to be back for playoffs like a Kucherov is so this thread can rest until training camp next year as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Deedog99]

Jets are better off with his cap space.

 

[Jets 31]

Are there decent long term outcome studies on small bleeds in athletes who do, or do not, return to high level sports, or are the recommendations based on an abundance of caution?
It seems to me that this would a difficult group to study, for a variety of reasons.

I still have basically a normal life except before the bleed i never got migraines , they are debilitating pain and thank god there is medication that now can stop them for me. The pain is so bad when they happen , i can't describe it. The other thing that happens is, not alot mind you, is you get feelings , they are hard to describe but basically you can't compute things right. I would love to get to talk to Little and hear how he's feeling right from him because i might be able to know first hand how he's doing. Anyway long story short i hope he can live a fairly normal life and wish him the best.