Clarke MacArthur to suit up for Sens after 18 months on sideline
MacArthur last played an NHL game with the Ottawa Senators in October 2015
Clarke MacArthur will be returning to the Ottawa Senators lineup Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings, less than three months after the team said the forward was done for the season.
MacArthur hasn't played an NHL game in 18 months while he battled symptoms of post-concussion syndrome.
On Tuesday, however, Senators general manager Pierre Dorion confirmed MacArthur will be in the lineup against the Red Wings.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sens?src=hash">#Sens</a> GM Pierre Dorion confirms that Clarke MacArthur will return to the line-up tonight against Detroit. <a href="https://t.co/26z8jEgIue">pic.twitter.com/26z8jEgIue</a>
—@SenatorsDoctors cleared MacArthur last week
"I said from day one the doctors would decide. They have spoken. He is playing tonight," Dorion told reporters.
The decision is a stunning reversal from January, when Dorion said that after consulting a number of doctors, the team decided MacArthur was done for the year.
Dorion said Tuesday doctors actually cleared MacArthur to play a week ago, and said the forward has "felt great for a while."
MacArthur has had four concussions in the last 21 months, the last happening during a training camp scrimmage in September.
The native of Lloydminster, Alta., had pledged to return to the NHL and refused to retire.