News Article: Pascal Dupuis - "Why I'm coming back"

[Honour Over Glory]

All of this filth flarn filth and not one mention of Pascal's bike shorts.

Shame on all of you.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

I don't care about the articles. I'm glad he did the articles. It will hopefully ensure that there is even more pressure on him to disclose any issues he has going forward.





Those two pieces of articles together would leave me terrified if I'm his wife or if I'm management of this team. He's lied about it before. If he has symptoms again during, say, game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, does that paragraph above give you confidence that he'd tell somebody about it? I hope you're right and he's learned his lesson. I'm sure in the front of his mind, he thinks he has. But if you asked him two years ago if he would ever hide symptoms of a re-occurrence of something like this, I'm sure he would have confidently said he'd tell the doctors immediately. And as he said it, I'm sure he'd believe it.

Should he play? That's up to him and the doctors. Should the doctors keep as close an eye on his health as possible? Absolutely they should. I would be asking him after every damn game. Also, while I think hiding it again is a real possibility, I don't know if I think he'd actually lie about it if directly asked. I sure hope not. That way if god forbid something goes wrong, you can at least know you did your due diligence.

Let's be honest though. EVERYYYYYYYYY pro hockey player would lie about his condition to play in game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. That's just the culture of the sport.

Now, that's something we should all be worrying about. This "tough guy culture" is kinda ridiculous.

 

[SprootsMasterFlex]

There's always a chance that this won't work and Dupuis will be forced to retire. For his sake, I hope its not the case but if he seems any symptoms, he has to do what's best for his family and his longterm health...

I don't want to wish him any bad luck or anything but if he has to hang up the skates, would you imagine what the free cap space would fuel on these trade rumor boards ;-)

 

[Fordy]

Let's be honest though. EVERYYYYYYYYY pro hockey player would lie about his condition to play in game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. That's just the culture of the sport.

Now, that's something we should all be worrying about. This "tough guy culture" is kinda ridiculous.

so maybe everyone should stop talking about how courageous this is

just maybe

 

[Scandale du Jour]

so maybe everyone should stop talking about how courageous this is

just maybe

Hockey culture is a weird animal. There is a line between "courageous" and "dumbass crazy" and hockey culture walks in it constantly. It is no only Dupuis, it is pretty much everybody that played at a highish level of hockey.

Heck, I only played Junior A and I hid/ignored a concussion to play a soccer rec league final.

Players are brought up to be that way and, honestly, at same point, it will have to stop.

 

[Fordy]

everyone that's played sports has played with some kind of injury. a concussion is the cut off for me. but blood clots are levels and levels above even that. there is no line to walk on in this situation, the line isn't even visible from this point

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Maybe I am naive, Jiggy. Maybe I don't know the pressure on doctors to "clear" guys to play. I guess my perspective was that early on, after the clot was discovered last year, it was clear that he was NOT coming back. He was DONE. But, with that all changing, my assumption was (again, maybe naive) that they worked on it, found a diet/medication that worked, and he ended up being cleared to play. I assumed they figured out how to mitigate chances of a future clot, through proper medication. And thus, that the risk is truly low that he'd have future clotting issues. Maybe, as you and TTEOT are saying, that is NOT the case, in all actuality...

I know next to nothing of blood clots, Jiggy. I do NOT know the seriousness, and how well they can be prevented/controlled through medication. So, I probably should not speak on this any further. I was indeed looking at this like a "setback" or "hardship" that he's fighting through, sort of like when he worked his way back from the knee injury. That's the perspective I was coming from when I said that there's a potentially good lesson there -- the idea of "when the going gets tough, you don't quit." BUT -- if this is indeed something that really CAN'T be effectively controlled medically, with any degree of certainty, then, like you, I'd say what he's doing is IMO unnecessarily risky, and he needs to "know when to say when" and do what it takes to make sure he's going to be there/alive/not incapacitated, and be the husband and father his family needs him to be...

(Sorry to hear about your father-in-law...sounds like you have been there to witness some tragic medical situations. Wow, I can't imagine him living as a "prisoner in his body" as you put it...sad...)

It's tough to see what my father in law is going through and my mother in law went near crazy taking care of him until she had to put him in a home. She sacrificed eight of her golden years to take care of him. He can barely walk, his speech is slurred, he can't read, his left side is completely paralyzed, and he can barely communicate. When we used to go visit while he was home, I'd offer to take care of him so my wife and mother law could have a day out. And I'm a pretty strong guy, but helping dress him and move him around is physically draining. Then there is the mental aspect of communication and it becomes frustrating for both parties when he just points and mumbles and you have no ****ing clue what he means.

Imagine dealing with that every day for eight years.

This is the kind of spot Dupuis is putting his wife in if something happens. So when people tell me it's not a selfish decision, I know they are full of ****. It's a damn game. Is it worth being a prisoner in your own body and making your wife's life hell, and not being able to play with your kids anymore just to squeak out a couple more years of your career?

Having a blood clot condition is one of the most dangerous, allowable conditions a player can return to the ice with. I can't stress that enough.

Medical clearance doesn't mean Dupuis is 100% safe from having another blood clot. Again, he was cleared last summer, came back, and had his second blood clot. People need to understand that before they spout off about medical clearance and think the risk isn't high.

If he plays out his contract and nothing happens, it will be because of a lot of luck and it won't change the fact it's a selfish decision that could essentially bring great hardship to the ones he loves.

That's what people are missing. That's what people just don't seem to get when they talk about him being a "grown man" and that he can make whatever decision he wants and it's cool and ok.

 

[Penguinator]

His new medication & health (hardly any booze and regular)/nutrition regimen will help in preventing a new blood clot, which was not the case at all before his last blood clot.

If you read between the lines of that article you know the guy used to drink... more than a glass of wine per day. If he follows the docs recommendations that & the meds should really help controlling the risk factor.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

everyone that's played sports has played with some kind of injury. a concussion is the cut off for me. but blood clots are levels and levels above even that. there is no line to walk on in this situation, the line isn't even visible from this point

The point was that people that have played hockey competitively are taught to act "tough" and to play hurt. It is part of the culture. Heck, just see how commentators will hail a guy coming back in a game he was hurt as a hero.

I know it is a different case, but you can see the mentality. Was Dupuis wrong? Hell yeah! But the guy has been taught that mentality from a young age. Just power through.

I gave the example of my concussion to illustrate how hockey players (even those who topped at the Junior A - that would be Junior B for all of you outside of Quebec) think. As an highly competitive person raised in that way, you don't think about the consequence, you just want to play the big game. You realize how dumb you were afterwards. This is exactly what happened to Dupuis, IMO.

Very dangerous mentality, but that's the hockey culture.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

So much drama over a guy who's been medically cleared to come back actually coming back.

To be perfectly honest, I think that the criticism Dupuis is getting here is being affected in no small part by the question marks surrounding his hockey abilities at this point.

Letang and Crosby's health issues weren't as serious as Dupes', but their decision to come back was still risky as hell for their long-term quality of life and their families. Yet I don't seem to remember near the same sentiments being expressed about them.

Because they're franchise players, and we need them, and not 36 year old bottom 6ers making 3.75 mil per.

 

[Til the End of Time]

So much drama over a guy who's been medically cleared to come back actually coming back.

To be perfectly honest, I think that the criticism Dupuis is getting here is being affected in no small part by the question marks surrounding his hockey abilities at this point.

Letang and Crosby's health issues weren't as serious as Dupes', but their decision to come back was still risky as hell for their long-term quality of life and their families. Yet I don't seem to remember near the same sentiments being expressed about them.

Because they're franchise players, and we need them, and not 36 year old bottom 6ers making 3.75 mil per.

letang should also consider retiring, i agree.

 

[billybudd]

So much drama over a guy who's been medically cleared to come back actually coming back.

To be perfectly honest, I think that the criticism Dupuis is getting here is being affected in no small part by the question marks surrounding his hockey abilities at this point.

Letang and Crosby's health issues weren't as serious as Dupes', but their decision to come back was still risky as hell for their long-term quality of life and their families. Yet I don't seem to remember near the same sentiments being expressed about them.

Because they're franchise players, and we need them, and not 36 year old bottom 6ers making 3.75 mil per.

Yep. Letang didn't even get the hole in his valve that caused his stroke fixed, yet there wasn't page after page of nonsense insinuating that because he won't retire, he doesn't love his family, a line of thinking that says more about the people peddling it than it does Dupuis.

letang should also consider retiring, i agree.

You're actually pretty consistent on this.

 

[TheSniper26]

So much drama over a guy who's been medically cleared to come back actually coming back.

To be perfectly honest, I think that the criticism Dupuis is getting here is being affected in no small part by the question marks surrounding his hockey abilities at this point.

Letang and Crosby's health issues weren't as serious as Dupes', but their decision to come back was still risky as hell for their long-term quality of life and their families. Yet I don't seem to remember near the same sentiments being expressed about them.

Because they're franchise players, and we need them, and not 36 year old bottom 6ers making 3.75 mil per.

To be fair, those are pretty different situations. Crosby and Letang still have a lot of career ahead of them. To walk away from something in your prime, leaving a lot on the table, is a little different than walking away when you're at the end of your career with nothing left to prove. I mean Dupuis is rapidly approaching the point where he should be considering retirement anyway. Health risk or not. To say nothing of the fact that, in Crosby's case, he doesn't have a wife or kids that depend on him.

I get your point about risk and actually kind of agree with it but I don't think the Letang and (especially)Crosby comparisons hold up well. The risk/reward factor is very different.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Let's be honest though. EVERYYYYYYYYY pro hockey player would lie about his condition to play in game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. That's just the culture of the sport.

Now, that's something we should all be worrying about. This "tough guy culture" is kinda ridiculous.

but most wouldn't be putting themselves in as much risk as he would be in this situation.

 

[Penguinator]

but most wouldn't be putting themselves in as much risk as he would be in this situation.

But what of that risk? Is it so high?

Given his new lifestyle & meds i really think it's an extremely long shot that he dies or ends up with a life long major disability.I mean, if the % of that happening wasnt very low i wouldn't fathom the docs saying he's good to go (kill himself).

 

[Shady Machine]

So much drama over a guy who's been medically cleared to come back actually coming back.

To be perfectly honest, I think that the criticism Dupuis is getting here is being affected in no small part by the question marks surrounding his hockey abilities at this point.

Letang and Crosby's health issues weren't as serious as Dupes', but their decision to come back was still risky as hell for their long-term quality of life and their families. Yet I don't seem to remember near the same sentiments being expressed about them.

Because they're franchise players, and we need them, and not 36 year old bottom 6ers making 3.75 mil per.

For me I think Letang should have considered retiring as well. You bring up a good point though. With Crosby, he doesn't have a wife and kids to consider so it's a bit different.

My only issue with Duper is that at his age and what he has accomplished, he should consider retiring and I was upset by him specifically saying one of the major reasons he is coming because is FOR his family. I didn't like that statement and I don't agree with it.

I will say though that I really appreciate him doing these articles because it gives us insights into the personal life of a hockey player and how difficult decisions are made.

 

[Fordy]

crosby's issues are not even close to the level of letang and dupuis. at this point i think we're all aware that letang is an idiot

 

[Waffle Fries]

I don't really see Sid's situation as comparable.

With Letang, age difference aside, the doctors said that he has the same risk of having another stroke as anyone else in the league. Plus as soon as he thought something was wrong he sought medical attention.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Letang and Crosby didn't hide symptoms and continue playing. That's a huge difference imo. I'm not saying he should retire. I'm saying he damn well better not hide this stuff again. If I was his family or the doctors who cleared him, I would be pretty damn nervous about him playing again. And its not because he has a very high chance of developing another problem. Its because if he does develop another problem, I don't trust that he'll deal with it properly.

 

[Speaking Moistly]

If Crosby and Letang retired tomorrow for their future health I'd get it. There's a pretty obvious argument for why Letang should retire at this point, tbh, a stroke and multiple concussions that keep happening. Crosby has been concussion free since the saga but I'd get it because you don't **** with the brain.

But there's also no clear history of those two hiding something that could kill them. Letang went to the Doctor when he had a stroke and Crosby pulled himself out after the first comeback when he didn't feel right. Now, Dupuis on the other hand with another blood clot... It always boils down to the fact that he damn well hid it and all I ever see about that is that he might have learned a lesson. It raises the risk of something really serious happening to him because he wouldn't seek immediate medical treatment when he knows there's a problem.


We're going to look back on this 'warrior' culture, and how brain injuries were treated, in sports in twenty years and be appalled.

 

[billybudd]

Letang and Crosby didn't hide symptoms and continue playing. That's a huge difference imo. I'm not saying he should retire. I'm saying he damn well better not hide this stuff again. If I was his family or the doctors who cleared him, I would be pretty damn nervous about him playing again. And its not because he has a very high chance of developing another problem. Its because if he does develop another problem, I don't trust that he'll deal with it properly.

Crosby absolutely hid symptoms and continued playing, receiving a second concussion because of it, which resulted in a situation in which it became widely perceived that his career was in jeopardy. Letang has also continued to play during games in which he sustained concussions on more than one occasion. After his stroke, the guy got on a plane.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Letang and Crosby didn't hide symptoms and continue playing. That's a huge difference imo. I'm not saying he should retire. I'm saying he damn well better not hide this stuff again. If I was his family or the doctors who cleared him, I would be pretty damn nervous about him playing again. And its not because he has a very high chance of developing another problem. Its because if he does develop another problem, I don't trust that he'll deal with it properly.

People above want to keep glossing over that distinction and act obtuse. The posts above trying to use his salary as a justification for people being concerned is equally as disturbing.

Dupuis danced around the fact he isn't sure what he will do if it happens again and made a litany of excuses why he is coming back. What he doesn't talk about is the consequences of what happens if he has another blood clot and it's not caught in time.

If he has a stroke and is incapacitated for life, who do the people justifying Dupuis' decision think will suffer the most? He won't be the one dressing, feeding, and wiping himself everyday...

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Again, there is no proof Letang or Crosby hid their symptoms. The medical staff are the ones who ****ed up and let them back on the ice. It can take days for symptoms to show up from a concussion. I know, because I've been there. Many times you feel fine and then the symptoms can show up a week later or another hit, even a light one, can bring on the symptoms.

Tying to claim these two hid symptoms is disingenuous as hell.

 

[Fordy]

no one can make a definitive statement about crosby because a significant number of his symptoms weren't even concussion related

 

[Til the End of Time]

no one can make a definitive statement about crosby because a significant number of his symptoms weren't even concussion related

thats not true. what symtoms were not concussion related and what was their etiology?