BLUES CALL ON DOCTOR FOR DECADES

Dr. Jerome J. Gilden has seen his share of Blues hockey games.

Gilden estimates he has seen at least 1,500 games over the past 32 years, dating back to the start of the St. Louis franchise.

Gilden has been chief of orthopedic surgery at Jewish Hospital for the past 25 years. The hospital is now Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Hockey players are a resilient group. Gilden said, "We learned early then that these guys were different."

He said hockey players didn't waste time getting back on the ice even after surgery.

These days, Gilden can rely on several of his orthopedic surgery staff, including Dr. Rick Wright, to treat the injured players.

Gilden hired Wright in 1994. Except for a couple years during the Mike Keenan era of Blues hockey, Gilden and his staff have provided medical care for the team.

Team trainers today are far better trained than in years past. That has helped doctors in their efforts to better treat injured players, Gilden said.

Hockey players are better protected on the ice, too. When Gilden first started handling the duties of team doctor for the Blues, hockey players didn't wear helmets. The goalies didn't wear masks.

Orthopedic surgeons aren't the only doctors at Blues games. "At every game, we have an orthopedic doctor, an internist and a dentist," said Gilden.

Ice packs remain a key tool in the treatment of the game's bumps and bruises.

Hockey players are well-conditioned athletes, but they aren't invincible.

"They are human and they hurt," said Gilden. "If a puck hits you, it hurts like hell."

Gilden said he and the other doctors feel protective toward injured players.

"You feel like a mother hen," he said.

Like regular fans, the doctors root for the team.

Said Gilden, "We want them to win."