"In his first preseason game since suffering a serious concussion that prematurely ended his season with the Avalanche last spring, Peter Mueller suffered another one and will be lost indefinitely. The Avs said Thursday that Mueller, who recently signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the team, suffered a concussion late in Wednesday's exhibition game with the Los Angeles Kings. For Mueller, 22, it is the third documented concussion of his young career, leading to worries about his prospects. As the research into brain injuries moves forward every year, the damaging consequences of several concussions serve as a stark reminder to teams and players of their danger. The cruel twist to Mueller's latest concussion is he was slated to wear a new, possibly safer helmet this season, the Cascade M11 endorsed by hockey legend Mark Messier as part of the "Messier Project" to reduce concussion injuries. Mueller was not wearing the new helmet in Wednesday's game, however. After Monday's annual Burgundy-White scrimmage, Mueller said he was still in the process of getting the helmet fitted to his head. Whether the new helmet would have made a difference is a subject of debate. The bottom line is the Avs have lost a top-six forward who was slated to play a big part on the team's power play." http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_16159676
