VOORHEES, N.J. (AP) -Simon Gagne compares his health to a barfly who’s had a few too many stiff drinks.
He stops short, however, of describing what he’s feeling as any kind of lingering symptoms from a concussion.
“Nobody has really said if it’s a concussion,” Gagne said after the Flyers practiced Tuesday. “Right now, it’s more a vision problem and dizziness. I don’t think they call that a concussion.”
Gagne hasn’t played for the Philadelphia Flyers since he was knocked out of last Wednesday’s game against Florida. He has not been cleared to return to the ice.
He skated alone for about 30 minutes Tuesday and said he felt better, but not quite ready to play. He considers himself day to day.
“I feel like everything around me is quicker,” he said.
Gagne, who has four goals and eight points, needs to pass a test administered by the Flyers that determines the effects of his head injuries. If Gagne passes Wednesday’s test and feels like he can play, he could be ready for Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia’s game Thursday at Montreal.
“I think it is a possibility now, but how strong a possibility, that will be determined tomorrow based on his test and how he feels on the ice,” Flyers coach John Stevens said.
Gagne was hurt when his jaw crashed into the shoulder of Florida defenseman Jay Bouwmeester on a high check. Gagne tried to play a few shifts, but left the game for good after he experienced dizziness.
Nearly a week later, Gagne refuses to compare his situation to a concussion he suffered in 2002, even though some of the symptoms sound eerily similar.
“I think nobody knows what a concussion is,” he said. “I know the way I feel and I know what the doctor told me.”
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