PAUL BUCZKOWSKI       Bio       Setting Goals       Respect       Back to School       Professionalism       Those in the know       Turn It Positive       Finding a Job       Eye Protection       Playing Injured       Gearing Up       WCHL vs. CHL       Europe v. N.A.       Specific Training       Training Camps       Road to Success       Dedication       Life in the WHL SANDY LAMARRE       Bio       Season to Forget       College vs. Junior       Sportsmanship       Game Prep       Conditioning FORBES MACPHERSON       Making the Jump BRIAN PATAFIE       Bio       Stretching       ICE PATRICK POWERS       Is Hockey Just a Sport? ANDREW ZOPPO       Be Tenacious
	PlayYourGame.com is proud to welcome Paul Buczkowski as a feature writer. From the WHL to the NHL, Paul will bring insight to every aspect of the game, as a sport and as a career. Playing Injured By Paul Buczkowski April 21, 2001 Injuries can occur at any time of the season, and playing with an injury can be a very character building experience, or a very foolish decision. I have had a lot of injuries throughout the years, and I have always found a way to play with them without taking a long "time off" period. I am one of those lucky players that has had an "angel" on my shoulder since I have been playing the game. My worst injury I have incurred happened when I was sixteen years old. I was playing for the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL, and our team was playing the Lethbridge Hurricanes. I still remember skating through the middle of the ice and making contact with a player "knee to knee". After the collision, I immediately went down to the ice, because I could not feel my leg. In my head, I remember my parents saying when I was little that I should "never lie on the ice when you are hurt unless it hurts so much that you think that you just got run over by a tank". After a few seconds, I tried to get up only to fall down. I tried one more time, only to fall once again. My thigh was swelling immediately after the hit, and I was unable to bend it. The whistle blew, and I was helped off the ice by our trainer Blaine Whyte. This injury kept me off the ice for three months. I was hit so hard in the thigh that 10cm of calcium was deposited on my muscle. I still have this deposit to this day, and I will never forget that experience. But thanks to the medical staff and our rehabilitation program, I was able to play in the playoffs later in the year. Sure, hockey can bring many sorts of injuries, and I have had many of them. This year I have played through many injuries, but as a player, you have to be able to distinguish between "hurt" and "injury". With my latest injury, I made the decision to play through it, but it cost me to miss more games than I had thought. I tried to play through the pain and ended up hurting it worse. If I was able to differenciate between a "pull" or a "strain", I would have been better off. Almost all coaches would want to press a player to play in any situation, but now with head injuries, joints and muscle tears, it is very important to get things diagnosed properly in order to fix the problem and get the proper rehabilitation program in place to get back on the ice as fast as possible. Remember that there is life after hockey and most players play the game professionally for only 4 or 5 years. It is important to take care of your body, because after hockey, you will have to live with all of those injuries that could have been prevented or taken care of earlier in your career. Here is my quote of the month: "What I've learned is that you really have to tune into your "denial mechanism" quickly if you want to stay active. In other words, everybody gets to a point where they start to overdo it and break down or get hurt. And almost everybody denies it when it first hits. Staying healthy is a question of how quickly you can get beyond the denial and deal with the reality." - Frank Shorter Paul Buczkowski 1 Year CHL 1 Year ECHL 3 Years Europe 6 Years WHL
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