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  4. title => "T.J. Oshie says he was held out of the lineup longer than he wanted to be as a precaution"
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  6. article_body => "<p>On Nov. 14, T.J. Oshie<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/morrissey-avoids-suspension-oshie-body-slam-decision-makes-little-sense\"> suffered a concussion on a hit from Josh Morrissey<\/a>. The concussion sidelined him for nearly a month. He finally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/four-reasons-capitals-beat-red-wings\">returned to the lineup Tuesday for a game against the Detroit Red Wings<\/a>, but it sounds like he was medically cleared to return sooner.<\/p>\n<p>During the team\u2019s morning skate on Tuesday, Oshie revealed he had wanted to return a week sooner, but had actually been held out as a precaution.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI've been good now for about a week and a half,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is the longest [concussion] I've sat out. I wanted to play last week. We were pretty careful about it, and the guys that were in the lineup did an outstanding job of allowing them to give me that rest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This was the fifth documented concussion of Oshie\u2019s career. While there is still much we do not know or fully understand about concussions and their effects on the brain, it certainly appears as if the severity of a concussion and concussion symptoms can worsen with successive injuries. As a result, the team\u2019s medical personnel took no chances when it came to Oshie and held him out of play even after he was medically cleared to return.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI felt good so what we did paid off,\u201d Oshie said following Tuesday\u2019s game. \u201cIt was an open conversation, a bunch of conversations between me and [Jason Serbus] our head medical trainer and really all our whole team of doctors. We went through it day by day. As it lingered on it was a couple of days by a couple of days and once I started feeling good they let me go. We took it slow and I got a week in of bag skates so legs-wise I felt pretty good out there. That was kind of the process for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oshie admitted there had been times in the past he thought he was ready to return, but it was clear after returning he had not fully recovered which could have been a factor in the team\u2019s decision to be extra cautious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery concussion's different. This one was different than all the last ones. It's really just not coming back until you're ready. I've had some where you think you're ready to play and you're pretty sure, maybe not 100 percent sure, and then a couple games in you get hit or your head hits something or whatever it is and you don't have a concussion but you have a headache now every time you get hit for sometimes a month or so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oshie suffered a concussion last year after a hit from San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton. He returned to game action 15 days later, but did not look quite right initially and registered only a single point in his first seven games after returning.<\/p>\n<p>If you believe the team\u2019s decision to hold Oshie out had anything to do with that, however, Oshie disputes that notion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast year I don't think I came back too quick,\u201d he said. \u201cI wasn't able to find ways to score, really. I was missing some passes that I normally don't miss. Everyone kind of jumps on the goal-scoring drought stuff, but I felt like I was doing a lot of good things away from the puck. I was keeping the puck out of our net and I was creating chances for teammates to score. It was a learning experience, but I felt like I was 100 percent when I came back last time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But why was it even necessary for the team to hold Oshie back? With his repeated history of concussions, not to mention his family\u2019s history with Alzheimer\u2019s, it may be surprising to some that Oshie had hoped to return earlier or that he wanted to return at all.<\/p>\n<p>While the long-term effects of repeated concussions are still being studied and debated within the medical community, it is not a stretch to believe that repeated blows to the head can be detrimental to one\u2019s health.<\/p>\n<p>Oshie was asked if he felt concerned after suffering repeated concussions. His answer? \u201cNot really.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like when I go out there, if I get concerned about what's going to happen to me, I'm not going to play at the top of my game,\u201d Oshie said. \u201cDoesn't really concern me. I just kind of roll with the punches every day and if it does, it does. Hopefully it doesn't.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>MORE CAPITALS NEWS:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>From Player to Coach:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/conversation-convinced-todd-reirden-his-hockey-future-was-behind-bench\">Inside conversation that changed Todd Reirden's career<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>NHL Power Ranks:<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/2018-19-nhl-power-rankings-capitals-remain-class-division\">Caps still the class of the division<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Caps Mailbag:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/washington\/capitals\/capitals-mailbag-it-time-tj-oshie-worry-about-his-future\">Is it time for T.J. Oshie to worry about his future?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n"
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Capitals

Capitals

On Nov. 14, T.J. Oshie suffered a concussion on a hit from Josh Morrissey. The concussion sidelined him for nearly a month. He finally returned to the lineup Tuesday for a game against the Detroit Red Wings, but it sounds like he was medically cleared to return sooner.

During the team’s morning skate on Tuesday, Oshie revealed he had wanted to return a week sooner, but had actually been held out as a precaution.

“I've been good now for about a week and a half,” he said. “This is the longest [concussion] I've sat out. I wanted to play last week. We were pretty careful about it, and the guys that were in the lineup did an outstanding job of allowing them to give me that rest.”

This was the fifth documented concussion of Oshie’s career. While there is still much we do not know or fully understand about concussions and their effects on the brain, it certainly appears as if the severity of a concussion and concussion symptoms can worsen with successive injuries. As a result, the team’s medical personnel took no chances when it came to Oshie and held him out of play even after he was medically cleared to return.

“I felt good so what we did paid off,” Oshie said following Tuesday’s game. “It was an open conversation, a bunch of conversations between me and [Jason Serbus] our head medical trainer and really all our whole team of doctors. We went through it day by day. As it lingered on it was a couple of days by a couple of days and once I started feeling good they let me go. We took it slow and I got a week in of bag skates so legs-wise I felt pretty good out there. That was kind of the process for me.”

 

Oshie admitted there had been times in the past he thought he was ready to return, but it was clear after returning he had not fully recovered which could have been a factor in the team’s decision to be extra cautious.

“Every concussion's different. This one was different than all the last ones. It's really just not coming back until you're ready. I've had some where you think you're ready to play and you're pretty sure, maybe not 100 percent sure, and then a couple games in you get hit or your head hits something or whatever it is and you don't have a concussion but you have a headache now every time you get hit for sometimes a month or so.”

Oshie suffered a concussion last year after a hit from San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton. He returned to game action 15 days later, but did not look quite right initially and registered only a single point in his first seven games after returning.

If you believe the team’s decision to hold Oshie out had anything to do with that, however, Oshie disputes that notion.

“Last year I don't think I came back too quick,” he said. “I wasn't able to find ways to score, really. I was missing some passes that I normally don't miss. Everyone kind of jumps on the goal-scoring drought stuff, but I felt like I was doing a lot of good things away from the puck. I was keeping the puck out of our net and I was creating chances for teammates to score. It was a learning experience, but I felt like I was 100 percent when I came back last time.”

But why was it even necessary for the team to hold Oshie back? With his repeated history of concussions, not to mention his family’s history with Alzheimer’s, it may be surprising to some that Oshie had hoped to return earlier or that he wanted to return at all.

While the long-term effects of repeated concussions are still being studied and debated within the medical community, it is not a stretch to believe that repeated blows to the head can be detrimental to one’s health.

Oshie was asked if he felt concerned after suffering repeated concussions. His answer? “Not really.”

“I feel like when I go out there, if I get concerned about what's going to happen to me, I'm not going to play at the top of my game,” Oshie said. “Doesn't really concern me. I just kind of roll with the punches every day and if it does, it does. Hopefully it doesn't.”

 

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