Montreal's Blake Geoffrion mulling retirement

Forward Blake Geoffrion has told the Montreal Canadiens his health has not improved after a head injury he suffered during an American Hockey League contest in November and that he is considering retirement, the team announced Wednesday.

Geoffrion, the first fourth-generation player in the NHL, suffered a compressed skull fracture during a game Nov. 9, 2012, while playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs against the Syracuse Crunch.

The Canadiens said in the statement that Geoffrion, 25, informed general manager Marc Bergevin he has "shown no significant improvement" since surgery the day after the injury.

"I'm not saying he's not going to [retire]," Geoffrion's father Danny told John Glennon of The Tennessean. "He just put the Canadiens on notice that it's a possibility."

His former teammate with the Canadiens Josh Gorges expressed his sadness over the news and said the team will do everything they can to support Geofrrion in whatever he does.

"Honestly it's sad," Gorges said. "He's so young and he's so talented and he's got so many years ahead of him, it's unfortunate that this is a part of our game. It's a part of most sports. If he does decide to retire, he's got a group here that will be here to back him up and support him in whatever he decides to do moving forward. He's an outstanding person and an outstanding teammate."

Gorges said it is difficult for him to relate with what Geoffrion is going through, and as a player it's not something you want to consider as being a possibility.

"It almost gives you a sickening feeling in your stomach to think that someone at that age might have to come to that realization," he said. "You play this game with so much pride and with so much passion, to be told you possibly can't play anymore is tough. It's tough to think about."

A second-round pick by the Nashville Predators in the 2006 NHL Draft, Geoffrion won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which is given to the top player in college hockey, in 2010.

He is the great-grandson of Howie Morenz and grandson of Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, who are both in the Hockey Hall of Fame. His father also played in the NHL.

Blake Geoffrion had eight goals and 13 points in 55 career NHL games.