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Wings' Franzen reportedly had bruise on brain

Situation was a 'little bit scary' for playoff surprise, who missed 6 games

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updated 2:17 a.m. ET June 8, 2008

Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen's reportedly was suffering mysterious headaches and missed six games playoffs games because he had a subdural hematoma, more commonly known as a bruise inside his head, according to the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press.

Franzen led the league with 12 playoff goals, but apparently was hurt during the Wings' Western Conference semifinals sweep of the rival Colorado Avalanche.

"I had a collection of blood, it was not in the brain, but between the skull and the brain," Franzen told the Free Press on Saturday.

"It self-absorbed between two and three weeks," Franzen added. "It was a little bit scary. I couldn't do anything because that would have been dangerous."

Franzen overcame headaches to play in Game 1 of the conference finals against the Dallas Stars, but was scratched for the next six games, and did not return until Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The team's official explanation was that Franzen was suffering from concussion-like symptoms. But an MRI exam revealed the clot.

"It's not going to affect him long-term," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told the Detroit News. "Basically, in effect, it's a bruise. It's like when you get hit on a part of your body."

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Opinion: It wasn't just a spring fling by Wings' Franzen
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