Anyone have any info on Raitis Ivanans?

billbillbill

Registered User
Jun 8, 2006
328
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Raitis Ivanans took a knockout punch from Edmonton Oilers pugilist Steve MacIntyre in Game 1 of the 2010-11 National Hockey League season.

Five months later, Ivanans still battles daily with the career killer known as post-concussion syndrome. The Calgary Flames enforcer is not allowed to lift weights. Not allowed to work out.

Not allowed to do much of anything.

"Raitis is not cleared for any activity," says assistant general manager Jay Feaster.

"The protocol on him is he needs complete rest. We want to get him symptom free before he can start doing anything."

(source: http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports...s+concussion/4345251/story.html#ixzz1Fge1ijWd)
 

londonking

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
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I had the pleasure of meeting RI when he was with the Kings, he took the time to talk with me and my 3 year old son and also took a picture with us outside TSC on his way in to practice. He could of just walked on in and past us as i have seen some guys do in the past, but he completly stoped in his tracks and took the time to so hello to my boy.

Very classy guy, goon or not! he was a great team mate by all acounts while in LA and i for one hope all the best for him and his young family.

Get well RI!
 

ponder

Registered User
Jul 11, 2007
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I hope he recovers enough to make it back to the NHL, but I doubt it. Sounds like a Marc Savard level concussion, hard to imagine him going back to a job where giant men are going to regularly pummel him in the face.
 

straka91*

Guest
Isnt he supposed to be a judge on some hockey fighting show this summer?

I really dont know if he will be back next season though. Too little information regarding the injury/recovery. I hope he does though.
 
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BoHorvatFan

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Dec 13, 2009
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Vancouver
IMO players like Ivanans, Orr, Fedoruk, who have taken major blows to the head should flat out not be allowed to fight in the NHL. I don't know how anyone takes joy from watching these guys lay on the ice wondering if they're dead or not. Every time they get a head injury it makes it more likely they will have another. We don't need a death on the ice.
 

Garl

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Oct 7, 2006
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IMO players like Ivanans, Orr, Fedoruk, who have taken major blows to the head should flat out not be allowed to fight in the NHL. I don't know how anyone takes joy from watching these guys lay on the ice wondering if they're dead or not. Every time they get a head injury it makes it more likely they will have another. We don't need a death on the ice.

Don't be so dramatic. They can take a punch.
 

BoHorvatFan

Registered User
Dec 13, 2009
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Vancouver
Don't be so dramatic. They can take a punch.

Really? by taking a punch you mean they can get knocked out cold but live?

Because last year both Ivanans and Orr were knocked out cold. Next time they get hit hard it will cause even more damage to their brain and it will cause serious problems for the rest of their life.
 

kilowatt

the vibes are not immaculate
Jan 1, 2009
18,402
20,991
There are two kinds of fights. There are adrenaline filled, caught in the moment, playoff frustration fights, and then there are staged, enforcer fights. One of these two needs to go, and it isn't the first one. When you see a good fight, especially in the playoffs, it makes you think just how intense and incredible this sport really is. So many emotions in a single game. But when you see these big guys standing there boxing on ice, it doesn't make much sense. It isn't like they can fight the smaller guys anyway.

Ivanans had about two good games with the Kings and was otherwise useless. One of the scariest guys I've ever seen, absolutely JACKED, but I don't think we'll ever see him in the NHL again. For his sake, I hope we don't.
 

Garl

Registered User
Oct 7, 2006
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Really? by taking a punch you mean they can get knocked out cold but live?

Because last year both Ivanans and Orr were knocked out cold. Next time they get hit hard it will cause even more damage to their brain and it will cause serious problems for the rest of their life.

Well, while we are on it, let's ban all guys who got hit in the head and got an injury from playing. Crosby for example.

And what makes you think that Orr and Ivanans are hurt so badly? Ivanans seems absolutely fine for example. Pretty much all enforcers got badly knocked out at least once in their careers. Heck even MacIntyre himself was once hurt badly by Godard.

Fedoruk is different story, he rushed his return and got badly knocked out again. However, he was still quite able to stand up for himself. Just changed his style to a more safe "wrestling" one.
 

BoHorvatFan

Registered User
Dec 13, 2009
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Vancouver
Well, while we are on it, let's ban all guys who got hit in the head and got an injury from playing. Crosby for example.

And what makes you think that Orr and Ivanans are hurt so badly? Ivanans seems absolutely fine for example. Pretty much all enforcers got badly knocked out at least once in their careers. Heck even MacIntyre himself was once hurt badly by Godard.

Fedoruk is different story, he rushed his return and got badly knocked out again. However, he was still quite able to stand up for himself. Just changed his style to a more safe "wrestling" one.


Colton Orr hasn't just been hit on the head I've seen him knocked out or at least dropped 4 times in the past two years. Shelly got him good, a Penguin dropped him, Carkner dropped him, Parros KO'd him.

And you think it's safe for him to keep trading punches to the head?
 

Arpeggio

Registered User
Jul 20, 2006
9,021
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Edmonton
I know this sounds stupid, but I have a very good friend who played a pretty high level of hockey, who played with a guy that played with Raitis. This guy said that Raitis didn't even like to fight, but knew that he had to do it to make it and stay in the NHL. It's a sacrifice I imagine a lot of these guys take.
 

tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
85,148
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There are two kinds of fights. There are adrenaline filled, caught in the moment, playoff frustration fights, and then there are staged, enforcer fights. One of these two needs to go, and it isn't the first one.

I might be off-base with this, but it seems like the majority of fight-related concussions happen during staged fights. You have two enormous guys, professionally trained to fight on skates, throwing haymakers at each other... sooner or later someone is going to get knocked out on his feet and that's where you have guys banging their heads on the ice.

Again maybe I'm just forgetting, but it seems like "natural" fights rarely put a guy in position to get completely clobbered and/or fall backward to hit his head.
 

Prussian_Blue

Registered User
Apr 9, 2003
7,737
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futurenotes.blogspot.com
I had the pleasure of meeting RI when he was with the Kings, he took the time to talk with me and my 3 year old son and also took a picture with us outside TSC on his way in to practice. He could of just walked on in and past us as i have seen some guys do in the past, but he completly stoped in his tracks and took the time to so hello to my boy.

Very classy guy, goon or not! he was a great team mate by all acounts while in LA and i for one hope all the best for him and his young family.

Get well RI!

He was VERY cool with the fans during the brief time he was in the UHL with the Rockford IceHogs as well... hoping for the best for "Righteous."
 

Tont

Registered User
May 4, 2006
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0
Heard Feaster on the radio a couple days ago say that Ivanans has showed some progress, but is still battling post-concussion syndrome. Beyond that, the tone of Feaster's voice when talking about the situation definitely didn't sound optimistic. I think he's done.
 

The Big Giant Head

Registered User
Mar 27, 2009
2,797
67
So-Cal
That sucks to here that about RI. Considering the type of game he played he wasn't going to be in the NHL much longer anyhow but having to retire because of PCS is just terrible. Really hope he starts to show more improvement and eventually gets better so he can move on with his life.
 

straka91*

Guest
Read that on Fan 960? they said he is ready and will most likely be back.
 

Proust*

Registered User
Dec 8, 2010
4,506
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Big muscles:

ivanans.jpg


Punchable face:



I love that you can see Ivanans teeth fly out. *****.
 

CNS

A World Alone
May 24, 2008
10,560
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Ivanans was terrible with the Kings. Really not that good of a fighter.
 

CNS

A World Alone
May 24, 2008
10,560
0
How many fights he lost?

Almost all of them. And it wasn't just that he lost fights. It seems like every time he was actually in the offensive zone, he'd take a penalty and hurt the team. He didn't hit, he couldn't skate, and took a ton of dumb penalties.
 

Garl

Registered User
Oct 7, 2006
8,030
1,014
Almost all of them. And it wasn't just that he lost fights. It seems like every time he was actually in the offensive zone, he'd take a penalty and hurt the team. He didn't hit, he couldn't skate, and took a ton of dumb penalties.

What needed to be proved. You just don't like the guy and can't be even close to objective, because in his 4 seasons as a King Ivanans lost only 5 fights(Boogaard 2 times, Thorburn(huge upset), Shelley(with whom he has a positive record), Laraque).
 

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