BleedGopher
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per Russo:
Ballard is back in college at the University of Minnesota, where he pursues his degree in sports management. If he stares at a computer for long hours as he writes a paper, it'll sometimes trigger dizziness, fogginess, "that in-a-daze feeling." If he overexerts himself physically, he'll sometimes feel "a little confusion, bad sleeping and headaches."
"The headaches aren't bad like they were," Ballard said by phone this week. "The last time I had them really bad was in August. I didn't do any real physical activity in the summer other than going for walks, but nothing close to summer hockey training. One day, we were playing tag with the kids outside and I started getting real dizzy and bad headaches. I had to lay down and that seemed to trigger other things.
"Chopping wood one day, I suddenly had to stop."
Ballard, who turned 33 a few weeks ago, will never play another NHL game. He is making his retirement from a 10-year, 604-game NHL career official, and the husband and father of two sounds at peace with that decision.
"I didn't want to retire at this time, but with the bigger picture in mind, it was a no-brainer," Ballard said. "You look at so many athletes and they struggle for so long and I don't want that to be me. I want to live a healthy life, be there for my wife and kids."
http://www.startribune.com/keith-ba...nal-concussion-retires-from-hockey/361269861/
Go Gophers!!
Ballard is back in college at the University of Minnesota, where he pursues his degree in sports management. If he stares at a computer for long hours as he writes a paper, it'll sometimes trigger dizziness, fogginess, "that in-a-daze feeling." If he overexerts himself physically, he'll sometimes feel "a little confusion, bad sleeping and headaches."
"The headaches aren't bad like they were," Ballard said by phone this week. "The last time I had them really bad was in August. I didn't do any real physical activity in the summer other than going for walks, but nothing close to summer hockey training. One day, we were playing tag with the kids outside and I started getting real dizzy and bad headaches. I had to lay down and that seemed to trigger other things.
"Chopping wood one day, I suddenly had to stop."
Ballard, who turned 33 a few weeks ago, will never play another NHL game. He is making his retirement from a 10-year, 604-game NHL career official, and the husband and father of two sounds at peace with that decision.
"I didn't want to retire at this time, but with the bigger picture in mind, it was a no-brainer," Ballard said. "You look at so many athletes and they struggle for so long and I don't want that to be me. I want to live a healthy life, be there for my wife and kids."
http://www.startribune.com/keith-ba...nal-concussion-retires-from-hockey/361269861/
Go Gophers!!