bob_sauve28 Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 From today's Buffalo News: A fraction of the old Tim Connolly apparently is better than no Tim Connolly at all. One day after revealing the dynamic Buffalo Sabres center was no longer suffering post-concussion symptoms and could be back by March, coach Lindy Ruff noted the team doesn't expect Connolly to be the same player he was last season. Connolly posted career stats with 16 goals and 39 assists last season but that was after coming to camp as a finely tuned physical specimen. He's far from that today. "He won't reach the level he was at before the season started last year," Ruff said Tuesday before the Sabres crushed the Boston Bruins, 7-1, in HSBC Arena. "There's no chance of getting to that level of fitness. "But we feel that we can get him to the level where he'll play and help the team. I'm guessing in six to eight weeks. Tim might argue he can do it in four, but we'll have to keep a close handle on it and see where we get to. But I know it's a long way down the road." A possible scenario for Connolly's return could be as a power-play specialist to work his way back into game shape down the homestretch in preparation for the playoffs. Ruff said Connolly's daily regimen, as long as there are no setbacks, will include solitary skating and an off-ice workout. Connolly might join team drills soon. "It's a big step in the right direction," Ruff said of Connolly getting on the ice. "In the picture of everything, it's a small step for him. It means he's just one step closer. There's a lot of steps after this." The Sabres may have to proceed cautiously. Setbacks are common in rehabilitating from concussions. If Connolly's symptoms return more weeks could be added to his timetable. Nevertheless, Ruff indicated Connolly probably could handle getting hit. "Right now, I don't think contact would affect him one way or the other," Ruff said. "That's just my own feeling. But our progression is to get the fitness level up before we even get involved with that." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryg Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 I'm kind of surprised that nobody has mentioned the possibility of Connolly retiring. This is his second or third concussion and by the time he is projected to be back on ice it will have taken about 10 months to recover. I am not a doctor and I'm not Tim Connolly, so it's none of my business, but if it were me, I'd seriously be thinking about a career change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 Plenty of threads around here about it, they are just old. Were you referring to someone other than posters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 I am not a doctor and I'm not Tim Connolly, so it's none of my business, but if it were me, I'd seriously be thinking about a career change. If you were TC and Darcy wanted to throw 9 million dollars at you despite the fact that you are in the middle of a bad concussion, the career change could wait. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM8-PL16 Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 if you are truely honest with yourself, you wouldn't retire either. Take something in your life that you love(d) doing... be it play basketball, hockey, golf, run, whatever... and then take that away and how does that feel? Now multiply that times 1000... that's what I think it would be like for professional athletes to retire. I love(d) to play basketball... I had a 34 inch vertical leap at my best but now it's probably only 20+ and I HATE myself for getting old and losing that because I feel (felt) so alive when I play(ed). Sure I still play, but not even close to the level I was at and that kills me. I can't even imagine what TC would feel like if he never played in the NHL again... and he was getting paid to do something that he loved and he was really good at it, adding to the misery. I hope TC has a healthy long life, but I won't question him if wants to try and continue his hockey life for as long as possible... no matter what. Only he knows how the concussion sideeffects feel, if he doesn't mind the possiblilty of going through that again then who am I to question him. Good Luck Tim, I can't wait to see you in the Blue & Gold!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 Good Luck Tim, I can't wait to see you in the Blue & Gold!!!! TC in the blue & gold? You may be on to something. Maybe TC is having a reaction to the slug. After all, don't you experience headaches when looking at the slug? :lol: :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryg Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 Sorry, people give up doing things they love for health reasons every day, from eating Big Macs to changing careers and giving up hobbies. It sucks but lots of people deal with it. Like I said, none of my business, but just because he's a pro athlete insted of a more mundane profession doen't really change the equation, except that he probably has more money stashed away so far in his young life than the average Joe and that definitley takes the sting out of a career change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 I'll be the first to say I was wrong if I am, but I just don't see this happening. And if he does come back this year, we are all going to be wishing for last May's version and not this years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 I'll be the first to say I was wrong if I am, but I just don't see this happening. And if he does come back this year, we are all going to be wishing for last May's version and not this years. don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. of course we'll be wishing for last may's version -- that version was one of the best players in the NHL. he probably won't get back to that level (although I note that a plurality of voters in my poll yesterday chose "legendary comeback"), but he probably will contribute meaningfully to the PP, which could make the difference in a few playoff games, which could make the difference in a series, which could... he's coming back. we're going for a deep run in the playoffs. that's that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. of course we'll be wishing for last may's version -- that version was one of the best players in the NHL. he probably won't get back to that level (although I note that a plurality of voters in my poll yesterday chose "legendary comeback"), but he probably will contribute meaningfully to the PP, which could make the difference in a few playoff games, which could make the difference in a series, which could... he's coming back. we're going for a deep run in the playoffs. that's that. It's nice to be that optimistic, but wjag raises a valid point - what if the TC that comes back isn't anywhere near the one we saw for most of last year? What if it's the TC circa 2001-02 (82GP; 10-35-45, +4) or 2002-03 (80GP; 12-13-25, -28)? I really want to believe TC is going to come back and be a solid contributor, but I don't want to get my hopes up, nor pin our Cup dreams on the hope that he returns to form and contributes to the playoff run, especially considering he hasn't played in 10 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 he's coming back. we're going for a deep run in the playoffs. that's that. I want more than deep penetration I want it to go all the way :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 It's nice to be that optimistic, but wjag raises a valid point - what if the TC that comes back isn't anywhere near the one we saw for most of last year? What if it's the TC circa 2001-02 (82GP; 10-35-45, +4) or 2002-03 (80GP; 12-13-25, -28)? I really want to believe TC is going to come back and be a solid contributor, but I don't want to get my hopes up, nor pin our Cup dreams on the hope that he returns to form and contributes to the playoff run, especially considering he hasn't played in 10 months. what if? what if? who knows? In all seriousness, we certainly can't rely on Timmy to win the cup for us. I think we are going to have a deep playoff run regardless of whether he plays. My point was simply that it's not fair to expect the legendary comeback (although there's no law against daydreaming). OTOH, it is reasonable to expect/hope for some meaningful contribution to the PP, esp. if he comes back with a solid 6 weeks or so to go in the regular season. If this happens, it is likely to make a real difference in more than 1 playoff game. As for whether we get the pre-lockout Timmy, I just don't see this happening. That Connolly didn't really give a hoot about backchecking, penalty killing, hard work, the team game, etc. Now, the Connolly we get back is going to be rusty and out of shape, and thus not nearly as effective as the May 2006 Connolly. But I don't think future struggles will arise out of laziness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit151 Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 I'm getting old too. 40 in April. I played a high level of soccer for years. No one could catch me. Now, they can all catch me. I love to play and I don't want to quit, I'm trying to change my game from the fearsome striker to the reliable defender. Had a bad knee injury last fall. Thought about giving up soccer altogether because I love to run and stay in shape and most importantly, be active with my kids instead of laid up for months at a time. I want to show them how to play soccer, hockey, ball, whatever. I can see both sides of the Connolly thing. On one hand, you love to do it and you don't want to quit. On the other hand, there's a lot of life left, and a lot left to give if you can be even just half-healthy. It's a tough call. My doctor warned me that my knee may never return to normal, and I could have a blow-out that will be permanent. Tough call. As of now, I'm back on the field. I can't quit yet. Bit different with the head though. Hobbling aroung the rest of your life as opposed to drooling in a cup the rest of your life are obviously two different things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmwolf21 Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 what if? what if? who knows? In all seriousness, we certainly can't rely on Timmy to win the cup for us. I think we are going to have a deep playoff run regardless of whether he plays. My point was simply that it's not fair to expect the legendary comeback (although there's no law against daydreaming). OTOH, it is reasonable to expect/hope for some meaningful contribution to the PP, esp. if he comes back with a solid 6 weeks or so to go in the regular season. If this happens, it is likely to make a real difference in more than 1 playoff game. As for whether we get the pre-lockout Timmy, I just don't see this happening. That Connolly didn't really give a hoot about backchecking, penalty killing, hard work, the team game, etc. Now, the Connolly we get back is going to be rusty and out of shape, and thus not nearly as effective as the May 2006 Connolly. But I don't think future struggles will arise out of laziness. I guess what I am saying is that there are too many people (not necessarily you) who seem to think that TC coming back is going to solve all problems - PP, PK, everything, and not acknowledging the fact that he could come back and be a shell of his former self. I might be in the minority, but being pragmatic about it, I hope he comes back healthy and can contribute, but I won't count on him. I also don't think the Sabres or the fans should count on him either. Darcy shouldn't say "oh, well we're getting Tim back ad that's like adding an All-Star after the trade deadline, so we'll be OK" - this isn't like last year, when we got Briere and Dumont back after the deadline. For the fans - be excited that he's working out again, be hopeful that he can return and contribute, but don't put too many expectations on someone who hasn't played in 10 months, and will be closer to 11 months when he finally suits up in a game... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodfella25 Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 TC in the blue & gold? You may be on to something. Maybe TC is having a reaction to the slug. After all, don't you experience headaches when looking at the slug? :lol: :lol: Hahaha. Yea lately I have to take asprin during the intermissions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 what if? what if? who knows? In all seriousness, we certainly can't rely on Timmy to win the cup for us. I think we are going to have a deep playoff run regardless of whether he plays. My point was simply that it's not fair to expect the legendary comeback (although there's no law against daydreaming). OTOH, it is reasonable to expect/hope for some meaningful contribution to the PP, esp. if he comes back with a solid 6 weeks or so to go in the regular season. If this happens, it is likely to make a real difference in more than 1 playoff game. As for whether we get the pre-lockout Timmy, I just don't see this happening. That Connolly didn't really give a hoot about backchecking, penalty killing, hard work, the team game, etc. Now, the Connolly we get back is going to be rusty and out of shape, and thus not nearly as effective as the May 2006 Connolly. But I don't think future struggles will arise out of laziness. n, good post. Just 1 thing to add regarding the pre-lockout Timmy. That one was everything you mentioned and also lacking game sense or awareness. He picked horrible spots to leave drop passes and got himself out of position more often than we'd like. With the very notable exception of when he got nailed in Ottawa (you don't EVER go through the middle blindly with your head down) he showed a good awareness of what was going on around him AND what he should be doing at that time as well. While we may not see the possible Conn Smythe candidate, I don't see any way we'll see the guy that made Pyatt look like the good part of the Peca deal. TC in the blue & gold? You may be on to something. Maybe TC is having a reaction to the slug. After all, don't you experience headaches when looking at the slug? :lol: :lol: :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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