Capitals' Erskine Is Ready for Return

"My main worry is whether I'm more prone to get another concussion that much easier," says John Erskine, center, who's missed 22 games. (By Jonathan Newton -- The Washington Post)
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In the first two weeks, each time Erskine exerted himself, the dizziness returned and he was forced to take more time off, adding to his frustration.

Erskine said one local doctor refused to clear him and implored him to take the rest of the season off. But the defenseman remained adamant about returning, so he sought clearance from two noted concussion specialists -- Joseph Maroon in Pittsburgh and James Kelly in Denver -- who cleared him, he said.

"No doctor has the right answer," Erskine said. "The doctor will say since you've had a couple in a row so any little hit can do it. But the doctors have [also] said that I'm fine, that everything is good right now."

Although he has been practicing fully for some time now, the real test will come against the Oilers, who are tied with the Wild for last place in Northwest Division.

Erskine was paired with No. 1 defenseman Mike Green during yesterday's practice, and there's a good chance he'll skate alongside him against Edmonton.

"I'm so excited now, I'm kind of on a high," Erskine said.

Erskine is not the Capitals' most skilled defenseman, and sometimes is prone to taking penalties at the wrong time. But he also adds elements the current group does not possess: toughness and intimidation. Erskine forces opposing forwards to think twice before camping out in front of the net.

"He's a presence out there," Boudreau said. "So people (A) don't take liberties and (B) people think that he's a physical guy, [but] he's a pretty good defenseman, too. He played 20 minutes a game in the playoffs last year and was quite accountable on every shift. He has some faults like everybody else. But he's a good acquisition when he's out there."

Capitals Notes: Defensemen Tyler Sloan and Sean Collins were reassigned to Hershey on Sunday, but one could return to Washington today if Jeff Schultz (finger) is unable to play. Defenseman Tom Poti (groin muscle pull) rejoined his teammates for practice yesterday but left about halfway through the hour-long session. He is eligible to come off long-term injured reserve tomorrow. Defenseman Brian Pothier, sidelined since last January with a concussion, was examined by Kelly in Denver last week but was not cleared to resume playing. . . .

Center Boyd Gordon (back spasms) is expected to miss tonight's game, while Sergei Fedorov (ankle) is expected to return.