VANCOUVER -- Kris Chucko, a former Calgary Flames first-round pick, has decided to retire due to concussions. John Tavares Islanders Jersey . The 25-year-old winger, selected selected 24th overall by the Flames in 2004, suffered two concussions that he knows of. "My decision was based on how I felt, how crappy I felt for and have felt for the last 11 to 12 months, and the six or seven months (after) the first one," Chucko said from his home in Minnesota. "When you sit at home with a headache for six or seven months straight, the decision doesnt come too hard. "It was one of those things where I basically buried myself in a cage for two years because I couldnt do anything and I started to think `Is this really worth it?" Chucko played just 43 games for the Abbotsford Heat, the Flames farm team -- 41 games in 2009-10 and two in 2010-11. He has not played since suffering his second concussion in October 2010 during a game in Milwaukee. Heat teammate Bryan Cameron missed his target on a hit, and instead connected with the six-foot-two, 198-pound Chucko. The impact aggravated a neck injury sustained when he got the first concussion during the 2009-10 season. "If you took out a concussion symptoms chart I was feeling pretty much all of them," said Chucko, a native of Burnaby, B.C. "Dizziness, vision, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sound, nausea, sickness -- you can go right down the list to the very bottom, other than memory. "On the second hit my neck just deteriorated, I cant lift a heavy bag of groceries yet, so Im not working out or lifting weights cause I get these shooting pains down the back of my neck and its pretty uncomfortable." Chucko played in two career NHL games, both with the Flames, during the 2008-09 season. He also spent two seasons with the Flames former AHL affiliate in Quad Cities, Ill., and one with the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. "Id miss (hockey), if I was completely healthy," Chucko said. "I always say if I had knee surgery this summer and I wasnt playing hockey, I would miss it like heck. Theres a lot that I miss -- I miss competing, being with the guys doing all that stuff. (However), I dont miss having the headache every day and I dont miss wondering if Im ever going to get better. I dont miss worrying about my health." Chucko returned to the ice late last season skating on his own with the lights turned down at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre. "It was around the end of the season, I wanted to see how it went," he said. "But I got the concussion in October and then February and March, I still had headaches basically every day. It got to a point where I had thought about what was next obviously cause I wasnt sure if it was ever going away." Chucko admits the research conducted at Boston University -- which revealed three former NHLers (Rick Martin, Bob Probert and Reggie Fleming) all suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease known to cause cognitive decline, behavioural abnormalities and dementia as a result of head trauma -- helped him make his decision. "Obviously its not something you want," he said. "I hope that I stopped early enough, I guess. That was part of my thought, I love hockey, but I love life too." After two seasons with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL, Chucko accepted a scholarship to the University of Minnesota. In 76 games, over two seasons, the right-winger had 14 goals and 34 points before turning pro in 2006-07. Chucko, who married longtime girlfriend Lauren in the summer, has since returned to the University of Minnesota to resume his business management degree, which he hopes to complete by September 2012. As for whats after that, hes still uncertain. "When youre playing hockey, you always know theres going to be life after hockey, but you dont really plan for it, especially at 25," said Chucko. "The nice part about being in school is Im not jumping into a job where I might not enjoy so I have this year and a half to kind of really understand what I like, find out what excites me and I got to find whatever passion I had for hockey, I got to find something that I feel the same way about." Bryan Trottier Authentic Jersey . Bobrovsky posted a 2-0-1 record with a 1.58 goals-against average and .950 save percentage to help the Blue Jackets (35-26-6) gain five of a possible six points last week. He capped the week by making 32 saves and stopping 2-of-4 shootout attempts in a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Islanders Jerseys . -- An accomplished veteran in open-wheel racing, Alex Tagliani probably could find a full-time ride in the IndyCar series if he wanted it badly enough.HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans have interviewed Penn States Bill OBrien about their vacant head coaching job and he has emerged as a leading candidate, according to media reports. Houston team owner Bob McNair told The Houston Chronicle on Saturday night: "The process has been underway, and it continues. The process isnt over. We have other candidates to interview next week." The paper reports OBrien met with McNair and general manager Rick Smith last week, and also has interviewed former Bears coach Lovie Smith and interim coach Wade Phillips. ESPN reported, citing unidentified sources, that OBrien is the "overwhelming favourite" to become the Texans coach. OBrien is 15-9 at Penn State, guiding the Nitttany Lions through two winning seasons despite severe NCAA sanctions. Bryan Trottier Jersey. Before following Joe Paterno at Penn State, he spent five years (2007-11) as an offensive assistant with the New England Patriots. The 44-year-old OBrien drew interest from the NFL last year, interviewing with Cleveland and Philadelphia before deciding to stay at Penn State. His contract was re-worked after last season and the buyout if he were to leave for an NFL job was lowered to about $6.5 million. Text and phone messages left for OBrien and Penn State athletic director David Joyner by The Associated Press were not immediately returned. The Texans (2-13) fired coach Gary Kubiak this month and have lost 13 straight games. wholesale nfl jerseyswholesale jerseys ' ' '
