Emerson Seeks Medical Answers

Nelson Emerson, sidelined since Oct. 30 because of what the Kings are calling post-concussion syndrome, is looking into the possibility that his headaches are unrelated to the head-jarring hit he took from Pascal Trepanier of the Colorado Avalanche in an exhibition game Sept. 29.

“Nelson and I have talked about this and we’re trying to sort of come up with a plan to narrow the field on exactly where the source of the problem lies,” Emerson’s agent, Jeff Solomon, said Tuesday. “We’re not entirely certain that it’s related to the concussion, but it is giving him problems. And with the time off the Kings have given him, we’re trying to identify the source of the problem and get it solved.”

Emerson, 34, has a history of head injuries. His latest concussion was his fifth in the last 51/2 years and his third in three seasons. The veteran right wing said last month that he’d lost count of how many concussions he’d suffered.

Perhaps his most frightening was sustained Nov. 27, 1999, when Emerson, then playing for the Atlanta Thrashers, took a heavy hit from defenseman Jaroslav Spacek of the Florida Panthers. Emerson was unconscious on the ice for a minute, his body convulsing.

Scott Green, the Thrashers’ trainer, called it the worst reaction to a concussion he’d ever seen. It was shown repeatedly on television.

Emerson couldn’t recall any of it.

When the Thrashers traded Emerson to the Kings in March 2000, their feeling was that he wasn’t the same as he’d been before that hit.

He has 24 points in 88 games with the Kings, easily the least productive period of his NHL career. After suffering a concussion last January, he was sidelined for two games. His latest concussion sidelined him for the season’s first eight games. He returned to play in five, among them the Oct. 28 game against the Carolina Hurricanes, during which he hit his head on the net post.

He was in the lineup against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 30, but complained of headaches afterward and was put on the injured-reserve list.

“We’re going to take the time we need to get the problem resolved so that he can be productive long-term for the club and for himself,” Solomon said.

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Defenseman Aaron Miller, sidelined since Oct. 20 because of back spasms, resumed skating and said afterward, “It feels good to be out on the ice again.”

But he stopped short of saying he’d be ready to play Thursday night against the Calgary Flames.

Defenseman Mathieu Schneider’s wife, Shannon, gave birth Tuesday night to a 5-pound 13-ounce girl, Abigail Eva Schneider, the couple’s second child.