Marc-Andre Fleury has been practicing in full since last Wednesday, and this afternoon, he was made available to the media for the first time since he suffered a concussion after Anthony Mantha collided with him on October 13, 2017.
Gerard Gallant said that he expects Fleury to start tomorrow against Carolina, pending goaltending coach Dave Prior's approval.
In other practice news, William Carrier made his first appearance in a while, sporting a red no-contact jersey. Gallant noted that Carrier has to "go through the protocol. He's close." So did Carrier have a concussion?
Fleury had a scrum around his locker after practice; I've transcribed his full availability.
I also spoke with Malcolm Subban, recapping Subban VS Subban in Nashville and how Fleury has helped his game recently. Also, I talked to David Perron about concussions twice in the last couple months; he had some interesting thoughts about changing hockey's "warrior mentality."
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Marc-Andre Fleury
(HockeyBuzz note: Reporter questions are edited for length.)
Gary Lawless: Feeling pretty good, ready to go?
Marc-Andre Fleury: Yeah. Feel good. It's been a long time. Been waiting for this. Just to feel normal. Able to be with the team, practice with them, have some fun again.
GL: You did miss quite a bit of time. What are the key things you want to make sure you're up to speed on before you play?
MAF: I want to be in the right spot. Try to challenge enough to cover my angles. Talk to my defensemen, make sure I know what's coming around the net. Been a while since we've played together back there.
GL: When you get to that point when you're ready to go, what's the checklist for getting back? Or you just have to jump in, see what happens?
MAF: Get back in shape, number one. I keep working out in the gym, but it's not like playing. It's good to get out there, catch my breath again. Just try to hit my marks, hit the right spots. Try to gain some speed. It's a fast game. I think timing is the biggest thing.
GL: Have you decided when you're going to play?
MAF: I don't decide. We'll see what coach says.
Steve Carp: Did you know right away that this [concussion] was more serious than the prior two? Or was it a couple days later when you realized it was bad?
MAF: On the [Anthony Mantha] hit, I had neck pain. That was one thing that bothered me a lot.
I told the trainer I was good, it was just neck pain. I'll be fine.
During the third period, things started getting a little worse. I figured it wasn't too bad. I thought it would be quick. But the next day, that's when everything hit me. The headaches, the dizziness, blurred vision, and stuff.
HockeyBuzz: Your agent Allan Walsh blasted the NHL's concussion spotters after your injury. What did you think about his criticism and do you have any thoughts about improving that procedure?
MAF: (laughs) You put me in a tough spot, eh? Well, thank you for that.
I don't know. It's a tough answer. My trainer came over, we had a little time to talk. My neck was the thing that bothered me the most.
I thought I could play with it and finish the game. Looking back, maybe I should have pulled myself. I thought I could stay in it. After that, things just started getting a little worse.
I don't like to blame other people for what happened to me. I'm a grown man.
SC: From the other two episodes you've had, what was the toughest thing coming back? Is there a common thing for when you got back in net that you had to get comfortable with again?
MAF: Yeah, the speed of the game. The game-like situation, we do a lot of practices, a lot of reps, but it's never game-like. The traffic, the guys going to the net, the speed of everything happening, finding pucks through legs. It's tough to do in practice. The more you play, the more comfortable you get.
Willie Ramirez: Marc, you talked about staying in shape. What sort of things were you able to do?
MAF: First week was pretty mellow. Bike rides, running, plyos, circuits, weights...(laughs) I've had a lot of time to do it all.
I want to thank my staff for sticking with me. I wasn't always smiling everyday. It was a tough time. They were great to help me through this. Medical staff and training staff.
Alyson Lozoff: Marc-Andre, I know the mindset is to focus on one game at a time. How do you do that without looking ahead to Pittsburgh on Thursday?
MAF: (laughs) I know it's coming. Like you said, there's still a game to be played. There's still a few practices before then. I want to make sure I'm ready for when they're in town.
Sinbin.Vegas: How important was it for you to try to make it back for this week and the Penguins?
MAF: I don't know. I just wanted to be back as quickly as possible. I was going crazy, doing nothing at home. Just looking forward to getting back.
Having the chance to face them for the first time will be good. A few [more games before] would be nice to get back into it. But I'm looking forward to it.
SC: Are you aware of the comments of your former Penguins teammates in the [Jason Mackey article] yesterday? What does that mean when those guys are saying those kinds of nice things about you?
MAF: Yeah, for sure. Some guys I played with for a very long time.
That's the tough thing about hockey, right? You make good friends, but then players move around. You see them everyday, and then you don't see them for a while.
We kept in touch. Lots of them have wished me well. It's a good feeling.
HB: In the last couple months, you've been around the rink a lot. A lot of goalies have passed through. Can you talk about how you've helped out Maxime, Malcolm, Oscar, and even Dylan?
MAF: I thought they did a great job.
I've sent them a few texts here and there. See what they're thinking, how they're doing.
Every night, I felt we had a chance to win. Doesn't matter who was playing, right? They're a big reason why we're at where we are in the standings. It's fun to watch.
David Schoen: How much did you miss just being around the guys?
MAF: That was one of the toughest things. To always be away from the team. Just missed being on the ice. Miss yelling at them a bit, stopping them, little pranks here and there. You miss that. It's fun to back, fun to be a part of it again.
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Malcolm Subban
HockeyBuzz: P.K. got one shot on goal on you. You saved it, and in the video, it looks like you looked back at him.
Malcolm Subban: Yeah, I might have looked at him. I saw it. It definitely looks like I did. I think I did.
I'm pretty sure I did. I don't remember it fully. The game happens so fast. But I think I did.
HB: And after you made that toe save on Filip Forsberg in the shootout, the camera caught you giving a big smile to the bench. Who were you smiling at?
MS: Okay, I've got to settle this. (laughs) Because it looks like I'm smiling, but I'm not.
HB: Really?
MS: It's just the way that I breathe. (takes a big inhale) I do that all the time. I'm not smiling. It's like a big inhale. Because my mask is pretty tight. I wear it tight. So sometimes the air, it goes back.
It looks like I'm smiling, but I'm actually not. I know what you mean. I saw it. But I wouldn't have been smiling. Not on that one. Maybe if P.K. had shot it.
HB: And your brother Jordan, of course, got traded to the Los Angeles organization. What are your thoughts about that?
MS: I think it's a good opportunity for him. I thought his first years in the [American] league, when I watched him, I thought he played pretty well. So I'm happy for him.
Obviously, his goal is to play in the NHL. Sometimes, all you need is an opportunity.
HB: I know Marc-Andre Fleury is a personal hero of yours. In the time that you've been playing in his stead, what have you picked up from him when he's been around?
MS: I think his ability to get places on his feet, not out of position; his ability to come back and makes saves when he's down and out...that's the thing I've analyzed the most watching him. His ability to come across and make huge saves. He's definitely one of my idols.
I think the biggest thing that I've learned here is how he can just stay on his feet and get across to places. I've been trying to work on that.
HB: So you've been able to talk to him, pick his brain about that?
MS: Yeah, a little bit.
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David Perron
HockeyBuzz: I wanted to grab your opinion about concussion spotters. You had your history with concussions. It's the third year of that program and it's come under some fire. What do you can be improved about that program?
David Perron: I have no issues. They're making to steps to make it better, so that's what matters the most.
HB: In hockey, there's sort of this warrior mentality, you always have to tough it out, that sort of thing. But with concussions specifically, do you think that mentality has to change?
DP: Yeah, we're trying to improve in that regard for sure. But it's tough. You don't want to let your team down. You're feeling good or maybe you're not feeling too much [of the concussion].
Sometimes you wake up the next day, that's when you start feeling the symptoms. It's not always easy to pull yourself out of a game with the atmosphere, the crowd is going, adrenaline is going. It's tough, for sure.
But I think it's definitely a mentality that's been changing over the last 10 years. But there's still some ways to go, for sure.
HB: Speaking of Fleury's concussion, these days, if you see something wrong with a teammate, do you report it?
DP: If you see something wrong, you gotta tell him, make sure, "Are you alright? Make sure you take care of yourself."
For us, [when we're talking about a concussed] goalie, it's tough. You don't see him between shifts.
I don't know what to tell you [in regards to] Flower.
But if there's a guy who gets hit hard, I'm going to go over [and say], "Hey, are you alright? Don't be stupid. Take care of yourself." Then it's up to the player to say what's going on or for the trainer to see it.
HB: I know it's hard for the player, not wanting to let your team down. But it's a different age for these kind of things, right?
DP: We're trying to change it for sure.
(HB note: After these interviews, Perron ran into Timo Meier away from the puck on November 24, 2017. Perron didn't like Meier's part in the collision and missed six games with an upper body injury. Unfortunately, the Dallas broadcast of Saturday's game confirmed what we suspected, that Perron suffered another concussion.)
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