Connolly has hairline fracture in a vertebra

[shrader]

I wonder how long Connolly would have been out for if he took a shot like Drury did from Neil. Chris came back not long after that, just to have a slapshot hit him in the ear, then he came right back from that. Connolly isn't made of hockey player material, he's a figure skater who joined the wrong sport. If Connolly played in Europe he would probably be up there in points every year. He's got skills, just not the physical makeup.

 

Connolly missed 3 games total before the first concussion. When you are a finely tuned professional athlete, missing an entire year due to injury wreaks havoc to your conditioning, especially when you can't even work out over that time. Then to have it happen again is even worse. But no, those concussions were not the result of a guy being a soft player. Everything since then has been a result of those conditioning issues. They tried to rush him back in '07 and that is exactly why he is what he is now. Saying he lacks the physical makeup completely short changes everything he's gone through.

 

 

As for the whole Connolly-Lafontaine thing, comparing their numbers is almost pointless. Yes, Lafontaine was a much better player, but he played in a day where your league leaders put up around 140-160 points as opposed to the 112 that lead the league today. It was a very different league. It's a shame we can't do something like this, but I'd be very curious to see how a guy like Connolly would produce back in those days.

[FogBat]

C'mon, you guys can't handle that kind of sick humor from Deluca? Maybe you guys should see if you have spines...

I can understand the frustration that we Sabres fans are having with Connolly's inability to play, given the salary he's making. Having said that, the malevolent sense of humor can be over the top sometimes. Then again, it's another reminder of a quote I read a long time ago which still makes sense today: "A man's morals dictate his philosophy."

[deluca67]

I can understand the frustration that we Sabres fans are having with Connolly's inability to play, given the salary he's making. Having said that, the malevolent sense of humor can be over the top sometimes. Then again, it's another reminder of a quote I read a long time ago which still makes sense today: "A man's morals dictate his philosophy."

"Morality" much like "righteousness" are tools uses to undermine the individual and independent thought. Most that cling to the concept of "morals" do so in an attempt to justify their own existence. B-)

[Claude Balls]

"Morality" much like "righteousness" are tools uses to undermine the individual and independent thought. Most that cling to the concept of "morals" do so in an attempt to justify their own existence. B-)

I gave you the golf clap for that one......Bravo!

[Bmwolf21]

I don't know if anyone already posted it, but here's an intersting piece about TC, which comes from Dom's favorite media sparring partner:

 

Tim Connolly, Buffalo Sabres

The consensus is that the Sabres' playoff fortunes ride on the shoulders (and glove hand) of Ryan Miller and a return to the form that landed him on the list of the top 10 netminders in the league. There is some truth to that, but the fate of the franchise this season is truly in the exceptionally skilled hands of Connolly. He has the on-ice vision of a prophet, but in recent years the injury gods have cursed him with both head and leg injuries. He's even battled the curse that befalls most of us mere mortals: weight problems. Still, if he is blessed with some good fortune this time around, he'll be the lynchpin of Buffalo's success as their No.1 play-making center and key creator on the power play. If that happens, the Sabres are back in the postseason...unless of course the gods frown on Miller.

 

Ten players with a lot at stake

[deluca67]

I don't know if anyone already posted it, but here's an intersting piece about TC, which comes from Dom's favorite media sparring partner:

 

Tim Connolly, Buffalo Sabres

The consensus is that the Sabres' playoff fortunes ride on the shoulders (and glove hand) of Ryan Miller and a return to the form that landed him on the list of the top 10 netminders in the league. There is some truth to that, but the fate of the franchise this season is truly in the exceptionally skilled hands of Connolly. He has the on-ice vision of a prophet, but in recent years the injury gods have cursed him with both head and leg injuries. He's even battled the curse that befalls most of us mere mortals: weight problems. Still, if he is blessed with some good fortune this time around, he'll be the lynchpin of Buffalo's success as their No.1 play-making center and key creator on the power play. If that happens, the Sabres are back in the postseason...unless of course the gods frown on Miller.

 

Ten players with a lot at stake

The myth of Tim Connolly amazes me. He is averaging less points per game than Steve Patrick did. He's not a nunber one center and has never been.

[outlaw16511]

Get Timmah a sled! Problem solved!

[thesportsbuff]

I wonder how long Connolly would have been out for if he took a shot like Drury did from Neil. Chris came back not long after that, just to have a slapshot hit him in the ear, then he came right back from that. Connolly isn't made of hockey player material, he's a figure skater who joined the wrong sport. If Connolly played in Europe he would probably be up there in points every year. He's got skills, just not the physical makeup.

 

knock knock man, reality is at the door. the schaefer hit on connolly was infinite times worse than neil's hit on drury. frankly the only reason the hit on Drury was bad was because there was a little blood on the ice. a second or two late, maybe, but he didn't catch him straight on and it wasn't that violent of a collision. If big chris had had his helmet strapped it's likely that a concussion wouldn't even have occurred...

 

and i agree with shrader. conditioning is huge in pro sports, especially hockey. if you're limited to basically sitting around the house all day for a YEAR, think of what your condition would be? i mean, in highschool when I would go back after a 2.5-month summer vacation (more partying and hanging out than engaging in physical activity), gym class was rough as hell for the first few weeks.. I would be in terrible shape. I can't imagine a whole year and trying to get back.

 

if you work your body too hard you'll run into injuries, and that's exactly what happened with the hip fracture last year, and may have played in a role in his current back injury.

 

STILL, it sucks to have been saying so much about how his post-concussion injuries were basically flukes and that he was going to have a good year, and then have him miss the first game...

 

 

EDIT: as for the "don't attack his character" posts... come on, it's an internet forum. he's a professional and we expect certain things from him-- we have the right to criticize. sure we could live in a nice happy little world where everybody gets an A+ for effort, but I'd rather the team succeed... as BIG of a Connolly fan as I am, this is downright disappointing.

[FogBat]

"Morality" much like "righteousness" are tools uses to undermine the individual and independent thought. Most that cling to the concept of "morals" do so in an attempt to justify their own existence. B-)

ok, thanks for proving my point.

[Claude Balls]

STILL, it sucks to have been saying so much about how his post-concussion injuries were basically flukes and that he was going to have a good year, and then have him miss the first game...

EDIT: as for the "don't attack his character" posts... come on, it's an internet forum. he's a professional and we expect certain things from him-- we have the right to criticize. sure we could live in a nice happy little world where everybody gets an A+ effort, but I'd rather the team succeed... as BIG of a Connolly fan as I am, this is downright disappointing.

I'm just bashing on poor Timmy because he'll come in and play 5/6 games and pull off some ridiculous moves with the puck and then he's gone for 80 games. It's a shame not knowing what this kid could do if he could STAY HEALTHY.

 

On the other subject about conditioning. Isn't that more of a factor when it comes to muscles, ligaments, tendons and obviously cardio? Concussions are gonna happen no matter how conditioned an athlete is. And the fractured bones could be more from just having weaker/softer bones and I am sure the doctors would know about any type of calcium deficiency or degenerative problem. Like me for example, I have bad shoulders and have had surgery on both. I always worked out my shoulders, but it didn't matter how well I took care of them. My orthopedic surgeon said it just happens sometimes and this is the same orthopedist that takes care of all the Rochester sports teams (Dr. John Goldblatt). Just wondering, I'm no doctor, I just play one on the internet.

[thesportsbuff]

I'm just bashing on poor Timmy because he'll come in and play 5/6 games and pull off some ridiculous moves with the puck and then he's gone for 80 games. It's a shame not knowing what this kid could do if he could STAY HEALTHY.

 

On the other subject about conditioning. Isn't that more of a factor when it comes to muscles, ligaments, tendons and obviously cardio? Concussions are gonna happen no matter how conditioned an athlete is. And the fractured bones could be more from just having weaker/softer bones and I am sure the doctors would know about any type of calcium deficiency or degenerative problem. Like me for example, I have bad shoulders and have had surgery on both. I always worked out my shoulders, but it didn't matter how well I took care of them. My orthopedic surgeon said it just happens sometimes and this is the same orthopedist that takes care of all the Rochester sports teams (Dr. John Goldblatt). Just wondering, I'm no doctor, I just play one on the internet.

 

may be true, but you have to assume that working twice as hard to get back into shape and all that would take a toll on his body. i'm no doctor either, so I have no idea if that's a logical conclusion, but until proven otherwise I'll go with it.

[matter2003]

its just unbelievable...Connolly is just a hot disaster right now, and a medical mess....

[frisky]

From what little researching I did, depending on the location of the fracture, could be a serious condition. I can't believe that he would be able to play in a week. I think it will take a couple of months to heal. Hopefully, it doesn't degenerate so that he's got to get spinal fusion surgery. I don't think we'll really be seeing Timmy for a while. He should just let it heal before coming back and possilby making it worse.

[deluca67]

ok, thanks for proving my point.

Did you have one?

[billsrcursed]

The myth of Tim Connolly amazes me. He is averaging less points per game than Steve Patrick did. He's not a nunber one center and has never been.

 

I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, so please don't take this wrong. I actually respect the majority of your posts and enjoy your insight. I'm just trying to figure out if you're an angry fan who is pissed at the situation and taking it out on Connolly or if you really feel like Timmy is somehow doing this on purpose?

 

I don't like it either, and it's getting old. But I, on the other hand, feel really bad for the guy. I know, I know, he's still getting paid. I just can't buy into the idea that he's sitting back pounding beers with no cares in the world while collecting checks. I truly believe he's just as frustrated as we are, if not more. Trust me, I know I could be wrong here, I just don't want to be.....

[bottlecap]

No offense to Tim but the Sabres should cut him.

[Guest Sloth]

Connolly didn't practice yesterday and he is now expected to be out for a week.

 

What type of financial hit would the Sabres take if they did cut him? Not that I would support that. The guy, when healthy, causes other teams to give him some room when he has the puck. They know what he's capable of so they try to play it safe w/ Connolly, but they will give him some very hard hits when they get the opportunity...

[Stoner]

Putting LaFontaine into a thread about Tim Connolly? If you must. Lafontaine had a great career cut short to injuries. Connolly has 70 goals in 400+ games? Steve Patrick would be a better comparison to Tim Connolly.

 

Steve Patrick .432 ppg .160 gpg

Tim Connolly .390 ppg .160 gpg

 

I'm not comparing Pat and Tim as players! Pat is a Hall of Famer, and Tim is just a very good offensive talent with, as you point out, pretty average numbers to this point. Both had careers cut short due to injury. That's the comparison. Pat missed a couple of hundred regular season games in just six years as a Sabre and missed more playoff games than he appeared in. He had a broken jaw, a bum knee and a terrible concussion like Connolly did. No one suggested he should be a man and suck it up (cue Ink). Because he was so great, you're cutting him some slack. You would never say he lacked a spine. It's not fair. If any of us had a fracture of a vertebra, I imagine we'd be in traction and on disability for life.

 

The level of hockey discourse is usually pretty good here, but if we're going to start going after injured players as slackers, it's going to start looking like something I'd see on a Flyer or (insert New York sports team) board.

[tom webster]

A couple of things about Tim Connolly.

1) He was never consistently as good as some around here seem to think. He has had his moments most notably the Philly series and then one game against Ottawa were he may have been the best player in the league form a purely offensive view point.

 

2) He has earned his teammates respect for the effort he has gone through in his last couple of rehabilitation efforts.

 

3) Before that, he was never considered a "dedicated" athlete, constantly coming to camp over weight and out of shape and before the last couple of years was considered "soft" by most that knew him.

 

4) Like many of us he has matured and probably wishes he had put more effort in when he was younger but can't do anything about that now.

 

5) It will be a great story if he ever turns it all around and makes it through a couple of seasons injury free. It would be such a great story simply because of the fact that it is so unlikely.

 

On a team with a self-imposed cap spending limit of $50 million and already spending another $3 million on their third line winger (Max) as well as $5.4 million on their fourth and fifth defensemen (Hank and Toni) there is just no room for someone that you can't count on. Already Lindy is blaming the seemingly endless power play woes on his absence. Aside from Derek Roy, there is no one to take face offs. There is just no way Connolly should have been on this team this year.

[deluca67]

I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, so please don't take this wrong. I actually respect the majority of your posts and enjoy your insight. I'm just trying to figure out if you're an angry fan who is pissed at the situation and taking it out on Connolly or if you really feel like Timmy is somehow doing this on purpose?

 

I don't like it either, and it's getting old. But I, on the other hand, feel really bad for the guy. I know, I know, he's still getting paid. I just can't buy into the idea that he's sitting back pounding beers with no cares in the world while collecting checks. I truly believe he's just as frustrated as we are, if not more. Trust me, I know I could be wrong here, I just don't want to be.....

So you want to fight eh? Just kidding.

 

Injuries are going to be a part of Timmy professional life. He is never going to be healthy and he either needs to learn to play through the pain or quit.

 

I am angry at Timmy and the Sabres. Maybe more so the Sabres because for some reason they are the only ones who don't know that Connolly's career is over and the player that showed flashes for a game here and a game there doesn't exist. The Sabres have no right to say they are surprised or frustrated that Connolly is out yet again. What did they expect? Did they really think he would ever be healthy again.

 

I listened to Lindy Ruff's post game press conference. Timmy's "crack" is unable to be confirmed by any test. No one knows for sure what Timmy's problem is.

[stenbaro]

A couple of things about Tim Connolly.

1) He was never consistently as good as some around here seem to think. He has had his moments most notably the Philly series and then one game against Ottawa were he may have been the best player in the league form a purely offensive view point.

 

2) He has earned his teammates respect for the effort he has gone through in his last couple of rehabilitation efforts.

 

3) Before that, he was never considered a "dedicated" athlete, constantly coming to camp over weight and out of shape and before the last couple of years was considered "soft" by most that knew him.

 

4) Like many of us he has matured and probably wishes he had put more effort in when he was younger but can't do anything about that now.

 

5) It will be a great story if he ever turns it all around and makes it through a couple of seasons injury free. It would be such a great story simply because of the fact that it is so unlikely.

 

On a team with a self-imposed cap spending limit of $50 million and already spending another $3 million on their third line winger (Max) as well as $5.4 million on their fourth and fifth defensemen (Hank and Toni) there is just no room for someone that you can't count on. Already Lindy is blaming the seemingly endless power play woes on his absence. Aside from Derek Roy, there is no one to take face offs. There is just no way Connolly should have been on this team this year.

 

I dont mind them waiting for Connoly to get healthy..If they want to pay him 3.5 to get healthy and wait to see if he ever does stay healthy so be it..I have a problem with them not planning for the inevitable time he is going to miss and not brought in a capable center to play till he proves he can stay healthy. VERY VERY POOR PLANNING..Any moron couldve figured that out bought not our front office.. :wallbash:

[deluca67]

I'm not comparing Pat and Tim as players! Pat is a Hall of Famer, and Tim is just a very good offensive talent with, as you point out, pretty average numbers to this point. Both had careers cut short due to injury. That's the comparison. Pat missed a couple of hundred regular season games in just six years as a Sabre and missed more playoff games than he appeared in. He had a broken jaw, a bum knee and a terrible concussion like Connolly did. No one suggested he should be a man and suck it up (cue Ink). Because he was so great, you're cutting him some slack. You would never say he lacked a spine. It's not fair. If any of us had a fracture of a vertebra, I imagine we'd be in traction and on disability for life.

 

The level of hockey discourse is usually pretty good here, but if we're going to start going after injured players as slackers, it's going to start looking like something I'd see on a Flyer or (insert New York sports team) board.

There was plenty of frustration regarding Lafontaine. Patty was such a dominate personality on and off the ice that very few would dare to criticize. It doesn't mean the criticisms weren't there.

[R_Dudley]

A couple of things about Tim Connolly....

 

On a team with a self-imposed cap spending limit of $50 million and already spending another $3 million on their third line winger (Max) as well as $5.4 million on their fourth and fifth defensemen (Hank and Toni) there is just no room for someone that you can't count on. Already Lindy is blaming the seemingly endless power play woes on his absence. Aside from Derek Roy, there is no one to take face offs. There is just no way Connolly should have been on this team this year.

 

I dont mind them waiting for Connoly to get healthy..If they want to pay him 3.5 to get healthy and wait to see if he ever does stay healthy so be it..I have a problem with them not planning for the inevitable time he is going to miss and not brought in a capable center to play till he proves he can stay healthy. VERY VERY POOR PLANNING..

 

Nothing against the man but hate the results because of the juggling that appears to have to happen when they practice with and plan on him to play and last minute he can't go..... FO Management should NOT have had him as part of any core plans. Maybe they should have at least took out a Lloyds of London policy on him to recoup some of his wasted salary. IMHO this appears to be clearly a FO Gaffe as Lindy's comments last week hinted to his frustration with Connolly's status. The FO has to give Lindy' the pieces he can count on to build a team here... They have not done it and as Fans it's frustrating to see it keep repeating itself.

[Claude Balls]

I listened to Lindy Ruff's post game press conference. Timmy's "crack" is unable to be confirmed by any test. No one knows for sure what Timmy's problem is.

A-ha, that's it! Timmy has a "crack" problem. All this talk about Timmy's rehab. Now it makes sense. :thumbsup:

[nfreeman]

A couple of things about Tim Connolly.

1) He was never consistently as good as some around here seem to think. He has had his moments most notably the Philly series and then one game against Ottawa were he may have been the best player in the league form a purely offensive view point.

 

2) He has earned his teammates respect for the effort he has gone through in his last couple of rehabilitation efforts.

 

3) Before that, he was never considered a "dedicated" athlete, constantly coming to camp over weight and out of shape and before the last couple of years was considered "soft" by most that knew him.

 

4) Like many of us he has matured and probably wishes he had put more effort in when he was younger but can't do anything about that now.

 

5) It will be a great story if he ever turns it all around and makes it through a couple of seasons injury free. It would be such a great story simply because of the fact that it is so unlikely.

 

On a team with a self-imposed cap spending limit of $50 million and already spending another $3 million on their third line winger (Max) as well as $5.4 million on their fourth and fifth defensemen (Hank and Toni) there is just no room for someone that you can't count on. Already Lindy is blaming the seemingly endless power play woes on his absence. Aside from Derek Roy, there is no one to take face offs. There is just no way Connolly should have been on this team this year.

 

Good post. I think I agree with everything, although I think he was consistently good, with moments of real greatness, in 05-06. To me, actually, the fact that he got his act together after years of underachieving is a compelling part of the story. As you point out, most of us wish that we had worked harder when we were younger. Well, he realized that he needed to step up at what was still a pretty young age (24), came to camp in 2005 in great shape, and made himself into a really good player. Unfortunately, just when he was about to step up to star status, his body let him down. Now it seems that his body will never stand up to NHL rigors.

 

One more point on your post: it's one thing to say that we should've gotten rid of him. It's quite another to find someone to take a $3.5 million problem off your hands. Bottom line is that they took a calculated risk by re-signing him in 2006 -- at a price far below, because of the concussion, what a star center would generally have cost -- and got burned. It's too bad for everyone, but that's how it goes sometimes. It would have been great if it had worked out.

 

Finally, I will state for the record that I completely disagree with DeLuca's statement that Timmy should "man up" and either retire or play. Ridiculous. It's not like he got hurt riding a motorcycle or dancing with the stars. He got hurt playing, and then he got hurt getting ready to play. He wants to play. He's busting his butt trying to get ready to play. That's the deal that the players made with the owners -- in those circumstances, the player is 100% entitled to get paid. Would anyone here decline to accept disability payments from his/her employer if he/she got hurt on the job?