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Attack winger and Senators prospect Jarrod Maidens suffers setback, sent home from training camp

Earlier this week Buzzing the Net wrote about the progress Owen Sound Attack winger Jarrod Maidens had made since his concussion back in November of 2011 that kept him out of the entire 2012-2013 season. At last report, he was back at full practices, although not 100 per cent with his game and well behind the level he was in his rookie OHL season.

Maidens suffered a huge setback this weekend though, as the Attack announced that Maidens has returned home from recurring symptoms with no timetable for return. This is devastating news, of course, with OHL training camps opening last week and NHL rookie camps starting this week, there was lots of opportunity for Maidens to get back into game action as both an Attack player and an Ottawa Senators prospect.Playing again on Nov. 30, Maidens took a knee to the head but continued playing, only beginning to suffer symptoms after the conclusion of the contest. Perhaps there's a debate to be had about whether Maidens would have continued in the game if there were tougher concussion protocols, and whether he would have healed quicker, but it's worth applauding the Attack for shutting down Maidens for now and not risking further injury.

Maidens is unfortunately another data point in the big concussion discussion that's become an unfortunate reality in contact sports over the last few years. Hopefully for his case this is just a setback and he will be able to one day continue playing hockey, but he'll have to wait longer to get into game action now. After suffering a concussion during the 2011 Memorial Cup, former Attack forward Joey Hishon didn't play until March 19, 2013, a span of 668 days between competitive games.

If you're counting, the clock on Maidens is at 641 days since he last played a hockey game. For his sake, hopefully he gets a chance to get back on the ice soon and continue working towards his dream, but not at the expense of his health.