You have to wonder if the Standing Rock Tribal Council will ever have a vote on the issue, it's not looking good. I guess those 1,004 signatures don't mean a thing if the Standing Rock Tribal Council don't allow their members to have a vote.
Grand Forks Herald --- The Standing Rock Tribal Council decided again Tuesday to delay action on petitions that had been submitted by tribal supporters of UND’s Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.
The petitions, bearing 1,004 signatures — about half the number of people who voted in the last tribal election — ask that the council allow the people of Standing Rock to have a voice in determining whether the university may keep the 80-year-old nickname.
A spokeswoman in Chairman Charles Murphy’s office said the council “tabled” the issue as it organized the agenda for its scheduled two-day meeting, but she did not know whether council members intended to bring the matter up again later.
Archie Fool Bear, a leader of the petition drive, said the council didn’t formally table the petition but delayed action again “because the tribe did not receive official notice that the State Board (of Higher Education) had acted on the name.”
The vote was 6-6 on a motion to affirm the council’s April 6 decision not to discuss the nickname issue until the State Board “finalized” its decision to retire the nickname. Vice Chairman Mike Faith broke the tie, Fool Bear said.
Faith and other council members did not return calls Tuesday. Chairman Murphy was traveling because of a death in the family and did not participate in the meeting.
“I don’t know how much more quibbling we can have on this,” Fool Bear said. “I guess we’ll have to get a copy of the letter the board sent” to Kelley.
This is a must read interview with some really interesting points affecting the landscape of NCAA Division one hockey. Funny thing the Big Ten Hockey Conference keeps coming up. Yawn!
FTR: You mentioned the choices between junior hockey and the NCAA. Following your initial debut and the first few interviews you've done, there's been a negative response from the CHL. They've used the words "unfairly targeting" to describe the things that College Hockey Inc. has said about the CHL.
Kelly: I don't think we're unfairly targeting anybody. We need to provide information to people so that they can make informed decisions. Many times we need to draw distinctions between the experience of playing NCAA hockey as opposed to playing junior hockey in Canada. In order to do that, you need to point out the pros and cons for both of us. If that's viewed as a negative by them, I would say that whatever statements we've made are backed up by solid evidence and facts. If we make a claim that some of the statements that they make and some of the information that they put forth on their website regarding their education packages are somewhat suspect, then players need to read the fine print. We've found many instances of players that have had difficulties of players obtaining their educational benefits. In fact, a vast majority of players that have played in the CHL have never tapped into those benefits - the rate of kids that never get an education, that never get a diploma is very high in the CHL. I think that it's important for players, whether they are from the United States or Canada to know these facts. I'm not saying that NCAA hockey doesn't have it's own bumps and bruises and issues, because it does, but I think it's fair for us to point out some of these things to players and their families. We're not doing it to be purposefully negative, that's not our intention at all. I've always said that the CHL may be the right course for some kids and I think that means that NCAA hockey and the juniors programs in Canada need to co-exist.
FTR: One piece of the Canadian program that does co-exist with the NCAA is the BCHL. So many kids come out of the BCHL and play NCAA hockey. As an Edmonton writer, one that sticks out for me is Riley Nash from Cornell. Are you going to work with the BCHL at all?
Kelly: There are a number of programs up there, the BCHL is one of them, the Albert Junior Hockey League is another, the Prince Edward Island League is another. I actually traveled out to British Columbia and spoke at the BCHL All Star banquet, attended the Owners and Board of Governors Meeting for the league and spoke very candidly with them about our support of what they're doing. The answer to your question is yes, the BCHL is doing a terrific job, they're producing some great players, they've put a great number of very talented kids into NCAA programs. We have every desire to see that continue.
FTR: There are so many kids coming out of California now that have to travel a long way if they want to play Division I hockey, and many of them choose to go to the WHL instead. Is California expansion of NCAA Division I hockey a priority?
Kelly: Frankly, the first college or university that decides to add Division I hockey in California will have just an absolute bounty in front of it. They will have their pick of some of the most talented kids in the country and they've got some great young kids coming up. If we could ever convince USC or UCLA or Stanford or California to add a program, they would have such an immediate impact. It's impossible in football or basketball to start a college program and think that you could have a team that could compete for the national championship any time soon. That's not the case in hockey. You could start a hockey program, get the right coach and bring in the right recruits and within a matter of three or four years, you could be challenging for the national title. I think that many of these big schools need to take a look at that and realize that many of the teams in Division I do so very successfully from an economic perspective. Most of the teams in the WCHA do very well. They fill their buildings, there is a lot of excitement, it attracts students, not just athletes, to the school. It's another activity that they can offer to the student body that brings excitement and enthusiasm. We've got three NHL teams in California and there is a hockey following out there, so I think it's a natural fit for one of those schools.
Personally, I don’t see college hockey being all that successful in the west past DU and C.C., just my humble opinion, while there is some youth hockey out west it’s definitely not as strong as strong as Minnesota, Massachusetts and Michigan, where would they get a majority of their recruits from?
One could make the argument that UAA and UFA have had very limited success and they have decent to very good high school hockey in Alaska. Unfortunately for both schools there has been an out migration of good home grown hockey players to the lower 48 states. These schools would be in direct competition the WHL and the WCHA for recruits. If the western schools could support hockey successfully wouldn't they attempted it already?
Here was an interview that Mark Recchi did for WEEI.COM and it can be found on the Big Bad Blog. Couple of interesting things that stuck out.
Is Daniel Carcillo funny? He never stops yapping.
He’s actually not funny at all. There’s nothing funny to his repertoire at all ----------
Savard really made a statement by taking those guys on. Are you beating the Flyers at their own game?
Well, that is our game, too. That is what makes us a factor. It is almost like people wake the sleeping giant. We get involved in these games, we seem to really get the emotion and are able to play a better hockey game. It is great that Savvy — he could have just laid down after he got hit but he is a competitive guy and he is showing that he is willing to stick up and is ready for this battle. And that is important. That is fine; we’ll kill those penalties and do the job for them.
Did you hear Mike Richards say that he was going to give Savard another concussion, and if so do you have a problem with it?
I didn’t hear it. I just actually heard about it for the first time last night, so that is just really in the competition unless he goes out and acts on it, then we have to look into it. But that is just part of the heat of the moment and a lot of things get said on the ice that really can’t get repeated half of the time.
I am going to say Barbra Streisand on that one Gary. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman must think the NHL hockey fans are complete and utter morons. In reading various fan sites, media blogs and on line newspapers, it does appear to be a reoccurring theme.
I agree the officiating has been really poor in all of the series. There has been no consistency in the way that games are called in any of the games that I have watched this spring. The best officiating that I saw was game seven between the Canadians and the Capitals. I will also admit that I have seen my Boston Bruins be the benefit of some really poor calls.
The officials: Bettman was also asked about the officiating in the playoffs -- a sensitive topic judging from ESPN.com message boards -- and whether the games are being called differently in the postseason.
"It's not the case," Bettman said. "They haven't been given a different set of instructions. The game is played a little differently, and the officials have to react to that. And there are adjustments that go on in the course of a series that you don't see over the course of the regular season, two teams will play and play different teams the next night.
"The games now are probably a little more intense. ... But no, they're told to call it just the way they did [in the regular season]. I also think the scrutiny tends to be even a little greater and the passion involved in every call is probably greater because every call is important. Our goal is to have the officials get it right and overwhelmingly they do. Are they perfect? This is a game of mistakes. Coaches make mistakes, players make mistakes and, occasionally, even an official might." [ESPN.COM]
This is a link to a very nice story about former Badgers Joe Pavelski and Dany Heatly. I know they are not Fighting Sioux hockey players but the success that Joe Pavelski has had in the NHL playoffs this season makes for a nice feel good story for WCHA fans. Currently Pavelski is 1st in goals with 9, 1st in game-winning goals with 3 and finally 1st in power-play goals with 5.
Had a chance to chat with the San Jose Sharks’ Joe Pavelski for a time this morning on his cell phone, just as they were about to leave for Detroit and Tuesday night’s third game of their playoff series with the Red Wings. A lot of us inquiring minds wanted to know what had possessed Pavelski to score nine goals already this spring, which leads the league. It’s my column for Tuesday’s paper and should be posted sometime tonight.
But I also had a personal question for him relating to Sharks teammate Dany Heatley, a fellow alumnus from the University of Wisconsin. When Heatley was originally traded to the Sharks from Ottawa last year, he mentioned that among the players that he knew on his new club were the ones that he’d crossed paths with internationally for Team Canada (Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle) - plus Pavelski. Except their times at the school didn’t overlap - Heatley was already in the NHL when Pavelski captained the Badgers to an NCAA championship.
Turns out, according to Pavelski, that he actually played one year of college with Heatley’s younger brother Mark, but he and Dany had a brief on-ice encounter earlier in their respective careers.
“Kinda funny story,” said Pavelski . “When I was in bantam or midget one year and getting ready for a national championship, one of the coach’s friends was one of the Badger players, so they came out and skated and scrimmaged with us. That was one of those things where you’re in bantams or whatever and you’ve got the college players out there and it’s a whole different level.
“That was my first experience with Dany. He didn’t even know who I was; and I don’t even know if he remembers that happened.” [Read the Whole Story]
This is the reason I think a lot of people refer to Sidney Crosby as Cindy Crosby. The man is an amazing talent but he is also an incredible whiner as well. Grow up Sidney and maybe more fans will embrace you... I have to admit that I am enjoying watching the Penguins get everyone's best effort this spring as well.
Here is another perspective worth looking at on the Ryan McDonagh story. I do think sometimes fans of NHL teams that are unfamiliar with the college game lose touch with the fact that many of these young men really like playing college hockey and attending college. I don’t think it’s such a bad thing that some of these young men aren’t going to be in hurry to sign with their professional teams that drafted them.
From watching college hockey over the years, we have seen quite a few players rushed to sign with their professional teams only to fizzle out and never reach their full potential. Very few college hockey players go on to play in the NHL. Some of these players have been on record as saying they wished they would have stayed in school. While Ryan McDonagh will probably play in the NHL, I can't fault him if he wants to play another year in Madison.
That being said what is kind of funny in a sad way is the way some Ranger fans are reacting to the possibility that Ryan McDonagh is choosing to return to Wisconsin over leaving to sign with the Rangers.
From shock to wanting the soon to be Wisconsin captain to issue a public statement; some Ranger fans are acting as if McDonagh does not have the right to turn down the Rangers. If Ryan McDonagh wants to return to Wisconsin for his senior season it is his right and he does not owe anyone an explanation why.
Sorry people but I could list a whole bunch of reasons why McDonagh would want to remain in school and they just might start with something so simple as wanting to finish his degree. Anyone who bothers to look at McDonagh's biography at Wisconsin's website might discover that McDonagh was named to the named to the Academic All-Big Ten and WCHA All-Academic teams as a sophomore (repeated as a junior on the WCHA team).
And if you think the Rangers have not made an effort to get McDonagh to sign (or for the matter Stepan and Hagelin) that would also be a mistake. The Rangers spend a lot of time and effort in watching their prospects and we are not talking scouts alone as the Rangers have been well represented in Madison Wisconsin.
The Rangers also for their part really do not want McDonagh to speak up either way until after the free agent period is underway. The Rangers as everyone knows need help on defense so the price to bring in quality help is going to want to squeeze the Rangers as much as possible whether it be a trade or a free agent. [Read the rest of the story here]
Here is the latest rumor on the Wisconsin Badgers defenseman Ryan McDonagh. Sounds like the Rangers would really like to sign Ryan McDonagh to a professional contract and why wouldn't they. Ryan McDonagh has a lot of upside and has a great chance of being an every day player some day in the NHL. Seems to be a lot of speculation but no one really knows what is going to happen. This is the worst time of the year for college hockey fans.
Anyway, basically what is going on here is that McDonagh realizes he has options and is not about to be forced into something he does not want to necessarily do. With knowing that he will captain Wisconsin next season, and knowing that he is guaranteed an expected amount of playing time as well as responsibility, he is leaning toward sticking with the Badgers. This is option number one.
Option number two would be to agree on terms with the Blueshirts, sign an entry level contract and jump straight to the pros instead of finishing his senior year in college. The difference between option one and option two, besides salary of course, is that he is guaranteed absolutely nothing once signing with the Rangers. He is not guaranteed that same playing time he is with Wisconsin, and he certainly is not going to be given the same amount of responsibility.
Take Matt Gilroy, for example, who signed with the Rangers out of college last April. A former Hobey Baker Award winner, Gilroy entered the National Hockey League playing under a coach that apparently did not have much patients to allow him to develop. He was docked ice time, sent down to the minors, and then was sentenced to watch the final week of the regular season from the press box. Again, a Hobey Baker Award winner, coming out of college, was shown very little respect by head coach John Tortorella, and barely was given a chance.
After seeing that, can you blame McDonagh for wanting to stay in college for his final year where he is one of their "go to" players instead of being belittled by Tortorella and possibly not even dressing on occasion? I cannot, and it is a shame that out coach can possibly scare off future talent. Gilroy has potential, and could have developed nicely this past season, but Torts finds it necessary to play individuals such as Wade Redden over him. If I am McDonagh, I do not jump to the pros and lock into a contract with the risk of having to contend with that nonsense.
Now I am not saying this is why McDonagh is holding out, but without a doubt, it is a possible explanation. Once the upcoming NCAA season concludes, the 6-foot-1 blue-liner has no choice but to enter the National Hockey League, and there is plenty of time between the end of his season and early August for him to strike a deal with the Blueshirts before becoming an unrestricted free agent and New York losses his rights. Until then, he is Rangers property and has shown no indication whatsoever of not wanting to play on Broadway as Brooks claims in his article.
McDonagh has the upper hand in this situation, which is rare for a rookie entering the league, and most people that are fortunate enough to have that upper hand are going to fully take advantage of it. If he does not have to rush, why should he? With the risk of making the wrong decision, he should take all of the time given to him be sure he is making the right one. No, it may not be the ideal thing for the Rangers (or their fans), but I am presenting the situation to you from his point of view
[Rangers Tribune]
Well, the Red Wings are down 2-0 now... and it's about 95% their fault.
Ok, ok, the officiating was terrible for both sides. Diving continues to be the key way to earn a powerplay for the Sharks. I'd like to put the issue of crappy officiating to bed with three examples:
Example 1:
In the 3rd Period, Bertuzzi gets called for holding.... holding air apparently, which is illegal in their imaginary rule book. Bertuzzi, who was bigger than the defender (I think it was Doug Murray) muscled the defender to the puck. In so doing, the defender falls down and makes no attempt to get up until after he hits the boards. The officials call Bertuzzi for holding. 40 seconds or so into the Powerplay, the officials actually call a legit penalty on Kronwall and the Sharks even up the score. My contention is: Uh............. Bertuzzi shouldn't have been penalized. I saw Sharks pulling the same crap on the Wings during that period NO CALL. Fine if you want it to not be a call, but DON'T CALL IT ON EITHER SIDE!
Example 2:
Dany Heatley goes for Goaltender Interference. Heatley was CLEARLY pushed into Jimmy Howard. CLEARLY. But they called him anyways.
Example 3:
I cite this after Example 2 because I believe this is what gave the Sharks the initial powerplay. To be honest, I can't even remember who got the penalty. In any case, the Red Wing in question successfully stick checked the puck. In so doing, he struck the blade of a Shark's stick. The Shark immediately drops the stick and...VOILA! Slashing on the Red Wings.
Check this out... penalties were something like 10-4 in favor of the Sharks. Usually that is indicative of lopsided officiating... but after the third period ended, I'm not so sure.
Despite all of this, Howard played well and so did the Wings... sorta.
They were starting to put on pressure when they pulled Howard and committed the most retarded, most easily avoided, idiotic crime in hockey: TOO MANY MEN ON THE ICE.
Seriously... HOW RETARDED CAN YOU BE?
At this point, with barely 90 seconds left in the game, I threw up my hands and said "Well, mail it in boys. Oh wait, you did. That's why you got caught." They even may have gotten away with 6 on 5 during the ensuing penalty kill!
All in all, this game was infuriating to watch because the Red Wings didn't beat the Sharks. The Sharks didn't beat the Red Wings. The Red Wings beat themselves.
They were ridiculously stupid and the officials were more than happy to "teach them a lesson" on top of it.
Really, if Colin Campbell thinks that WCHA quality officials is the best the NHL has to offer, then perhaps Campbell should be fired and go on to be head officiating consultant to the WCHA. This kind of crap we expect in the WCHA. Not in the NHL.
Oh well.
The Red Wings made their bed in this one. Gave crappy officials reasons to call ghost penalties on top of the numerous legit ones.
Well, now the task gets harder.
In lighter news, the Habs beat the Penguins. Looks like the powerhouse is gonna have to shoot for 5 instead of the sweep the media had Pittsburgh basically penned in for.
The Craig Adams hit on Bergeron got him 5 minutes and a game misconduct. I am sure the hit will be reviewed by the NHL. It was a bad hit but I don't think it was a deliberate attempt to injure.
I am excited about this series and the Bruins took game one from the Flyers 5-4 in O.T. as Marc Savard made his return to the ice after missing 24 games, Savard scored the game winner in O.T. with this beauty. The Bruins gained a key player of their team but also lost "the German" Marco Sturm to a knee injury (MCL and ACL).
The Flyers are the one of the tougher teams in the NHL and were second in fighting majors with 77. Daniel "the toothless wonder" Carcillo and Scott "mop head" Hartnell are also two of the biggest hacks in the NHL. Uber Hack and team fight leader, some might call him a goon Ian Laperriere is out for the rest of the post season with a head injury. I am sure that Shawn Thornton will have someone to dance with on the Flyers.
Here is the video of the Sturm knee injury, Sturm attempts a check on Matt Carle and ends up hurting himself. That looks like a freak accident kind of thing.
Today featured yet another interesting series beginning with the Blackhawks hosting the Canucks in a rematch of last year's semis.
Now, I know what you're all thinking. "He's a Red Wings fan. There's no way he's upset about the Canucks absolutely destroying the Hawks tonight."
Yes and No. Truthfully, if the Red Wings overcome Game 1 to win the series and advance to the Conference Finals, I'd rather them face Vancouver than Chicago. Odd for me to say that because the primary weakness for Chicago (goaltending) benefits Detroit rather than facing a good Vancouver team, but I love disappointing Vancouver fans... Especially when they feel all entitled and superior to us (which, this year, I think they may be).
Anyways, tonight the Hawks got absolutely blasted by the Canucks at home by the score of 5-1. From what I saw, it might as well have been 12-0.
This is a team (the Hawks) that played awfully bad in all respects.
They couldn't pass in ANY zone.
They couldn't defend (though part of this goes to just how good the Canuck forwards played too).
They couldn't goaltend. Niemi looked unsure of himself every time he handled the puck. Routine saves were hard for him tonight. Huet came in and suddenly the Hawks started playing Defense (probably because if they gave Canucks more than 7 shots on goal, Huet would start letting them in. I'm positive everyone in the arena was holding their breath on that Vancouver 4 on 1. Huet got lucky.).
They turned the puck over all the time. And they couldn't get the puck on net EVEN WHEN THEY MANAGED TO PRESSURE.
Vancouver didn't play a flawless game. Every time Chicago started to pressure, you could see them get a little panicked, but luckily Chicago played like crap and Luongo picked up the rest.
Maybe I'm wrong, but Chicago seems to me to be a streaky team. Niemi isn't the answer as the #1 goaltender, but Huet is a disaster.
The biggest downside is that Huet probably showed the Hawks that spending money on goaltending wasn't wise. So, signing a guy that could help them (such as Vokoun) is probably unlikely... Then again, they don't have the Cap space anyways.
I guess I'm a fan of the Hawks because I like Jonathan Toews. However, I think even he had a pretty off night tonight despite getting the assist on the only Hawk goal.
Anyways, onwards and upwards.
It's anyone's guess as to who starts Game 2 for the Hawks, but I'll say this: If you want to see a more lopsided game in favor of a team than Penguins/Habs if Price starts, Quennville should start Huet. Oh my God.
Well, Game 1 of the Pens/Habs and Wings/Sharks are now in the books and it's about where I figured it.
I know I shouldn't be down on the Red Wings and I'm not, but I'm not blind to the fact that, if the Red Wings ever had an "easy" series, it was the one against the Preds.
The Sharks came out of the gate fast and scored 3 right away. That's all it takes sometimes to get rid of a team for the rest of the game. No, the Wings weren't out of it and did a pretty good job fighting their way back to make it close. However, it was too little too late.
One thing that both Game 1 losers had in common was that both were ridiculously stupid on the ice. Especially the Habs. Penguins score 4 Powerplay goals tonight. Halak gets yanked in the 3rd period (more on that soon). The Red Wings take a ridiculous 5 on 3 pk between the 2nd and 3rd periods.
WOW. However, I must hand it to Devon Setoguchi. The dive was JUST believable on the second penalty. Watch the replay. Even the commentators thought that Stuart got him on the wrist and down he goes for the count. I can't argue against the Stuart move not being a penalty. I thought it was a slash, not a high stick. But Setoguchi flopping to the ice and holding his head until the whistle blew, then getting up and not even fazed? D-I-V-E. He should have gone for embellishment. 4 on 3 Shark PP.
Both teams played solidly otherwise.
DA HABS
Ok, this was the kind of game I was actually expecting in Game One between these two foes, but I didn't expect it to be all special teams. The Habs were RIDICULOUSLY BAD on the PK.
Jaroslav Halak did ok, imo. The rest of the team? Not so much.
However, the commentators further tipped their hand when Halak got pulled in the 3rd period. They started by stating a truth (I too thought Halak should have been yanked at the start of the 3rd period) and then proceeded to glom praise on Price and acted like eager little school kids the morning of a field trip to a candy factory when describing Price's playoff history.
They dismissed Halak's performance as a "He may have done good in 5, 6, and 7, but if Price plays well, he could get the start in Game 2." Yeah, the difference is that with Halak, it took 4 power plays to get to 5 goals. With Price, it'd take 10 minutes of 5 on 5 vs. the Penguins.
So it should come as no surprise that the commentators were adamant about the possibility of Price for Game 2. There's no doubt they want the Habs to fail.
On a positive side, Crosby was held to less than 5 shots and only 2 assists on the night. He's still bound for Playoff MVP honors should the Habs not pull out a second straight upset.
The same thing applies though: Everyone expects the Penguins to advance. If the Habs lose, what have they failed at? I think this is bonus hockey for the Habs all things considered.
Martin would be ridiculously retarded to start Price UNLESS he thought that Halak was too fatigued (with the fast turnaround between series) to be effective. It is PLAINLY clear that the Habs' chances rest on Halak. NOT PRICE.
That being said, if Price starts Game 2, I would be STUNNED if the Pens didn't win. I'd taunt them mercilessly if they did anything but win in regulation (even if the won in OT) should Price start.
The Pens SHOULD take this series 4-1. I say the 1 win comes in Montreal when Halak steals another game.
On a side note: Sad Markov got injured. Not surprised Cooke did it. SURPRISED the hit was legal, though (which it was). Reviewing it further, yeah, it was legal. Too bad. I never wish injury on anyone but if Markov had to get injured, the best thing to happen would have been if he could have gotten Cooke suspended.
This is what former Fighting Sioux hockey player Jonathan Toews has to say about the hit that knocked him out for a few games with a concussion last fall.
CHICAGO — Turnabout is not fair play in Jonathan Toews’ eyes.
The Chicago Blackhawks captain admits he wanted revenge against Willie Mitchell and the Vancouver Canucks after Mitchell’s open-ice check left Toews concussed — but only on the scoreboard.
He’d never wish ill will on the defenceman, who is now struggling through his own post-concussion battles.
Mitchell stepped out of the penalty box during an October contest and rocked Toews, who missed six games as a result.
A blind-side hit into the end boards from Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin has had Mitchell out of action since mid-January.
“You want to get revenge when you play against Vancouver and the player who put you in that situation, but I’ve got to say there’s definitely no hard feelings,” Toews said Thursday
For those that haven't seen it, this is the interview that happened post game after former MTU Husky and current Senator Andy Sutton knocked former Gopher and Penguin Jordan Leopold out of the game and caused Jordan Leopold to miss the last four games of the series with the Senators. There is no set time table for Leo's return to the line up. This is what Leo had to say about the hit today.
Leopold declined to say how many concussions he has sustained in his career -- "I do [know], but I'm not going to advertise it," he said -- or to offer an opinion on whether he believed Sutton's hit was clean.
"What's done is done," he said. "You just leave it in the past."
Sutton was neither penalized nor suspended, and Leopold characterized the damage done by Sutton as "relatively mild," but acknowledged that he appeared to be seriously injured when it happened.
"You look back at the hit, it wasn't pretty," he said.
Leopold said, "it's my call" about when he will be able to get back into a game and made it clear that he will not consider playing until he is convinced he is completely recovered. [Post-Gazette.com]
