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Martin Erat may or may not have been concussed at Worlds

Czech Republic v Slovakia - 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship

HELSINKI, FINLAND - MAY 19: Martin Erat of Czech Republic skates injured off the ice during the IIHF World Championship semi final match between Czech Republic and Slovakia at Hartwall Arena on May 19, 2012 in Helsinki, Finland. (Photo by Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Bongarts/Getty Images

Nashville forward Martin Erat was injured during World Championships in Finland and Sweden yesterday, that much we know. How badly he’s hurt, however, appears to be a matter of opinion.

Erat went down after taking a blindside hit from Slovakia’s Libor Hudacek during their semifinal match-up. Erat was taken off the ice with an apparent head injury and did not return to the game. As Joshua Cooper of The Tennessean shares, however, whether or not Erat has a concussion is up for debate.

Czech Republic General Manager Slava Lener said Erat suffered a concussion. This appears to not be the case. According to Erat’s agent Mike Deutsch, the Predators’ leading scorer from 2011-12 did not suffer a concussion. Deutsch said Erat is ‘fine’ and that he suffered a bit of a ‘stiff neck.’

One way or another, Erat isn’t feeling too good and his status for next season in Nashville shouldn’t be in doubt. Then again, concussions sometimes take time to make themselves apparent and that “stiff neck” could very well be a head injury.

Check out video of the hit here.