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NHL's Biggest Concern? Concussions, Concussions, and Concussions

December 15, 2011, 12:53 PM ET [ Comments]
Travis Yost
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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On Wednesday, organizations in both Ottawa and Carolina piled on to the seemingly endless list of players suffering from concussions and/or post-concussion symptoms, with Milan Michalek, Jeff Skinner, and Joni Pitkanen all sidelined indefinitely.

If you're starting to wonder about this wretched trend, you're not alone - the amount of quality players hitting the shelves with injuries related to head trauma has continued to correlate in the wrong direction over the course of this season.

Just weeks ago, the NHL was praised for a significant drop-off in concussions and head injuries from the previous year, as low as 23% less compared to the 2010-2011 season. As of last week, thirteen more head-related injuries pushed that number to just 2% less than last season(h/t CB), and after the recent piling-on courtesy of cheap shots, freak accidents, and the unavoidable hard collisions, the numbers could have flipped in the wrong direction.

In short: This issue hasn't been marginalized in the slightest.

Perhaps the biggest problem is that - for whatever reason - news about head trauma prompts mainstream media and the blogosphere to erupt into a fiery debate about the merits of fighting out of nowhere. This blog will try to avoid heading down that unmitigated disaster of a path, mostly because fighting is but a small element to the real problem. There's no denying the statistical fact that more fights and subsequently more blows to the head will result in more head injuries, but as the league office has already mandated, albeit implicitly, fighting has and will remain a part of this game, much to the chagrin of those who are staunch advocates of full player safety. The below-mentioned list, though, might shed some light on those who think it's the main reason for an alleged concussion epidemic. In short: it's not. Still, we'll touch on this in a bit.

As big of a focus in the mainstream as fighting has become, take a look at the concussion list, folks - it's loaded with star players, many of whom have incurred some form of head trauma playing the actual game of hockey. Debating the merits of fighting is fine(I'll save my take on it for a later time), but realize that Sidney Crosby, Milan Michalek, Claude Giroux, and plenty of others would still be hurt if fighting wasn't a part of this game.

For those of you who want to pretend this isn't an issue, I'd suggest that your reading stop here. For the masochists out there who want to see how ugly this is becoming, take a glance at the almost endless list of names suffering from concussions. Also, make note just how many players (e.g, Mike Richards in Los Angeles) that haven't officially been diagnosed, keeping them off of the injured list temporarily, as well as those who have just recently returned from said injury (e.g. David Perron in St. Louis).

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Boston Bruins
Marc Savard

Buffalo Sabres
Nathan Gerbe

Carolina Hurricanes
Joni Pitkanen
Jeff Skinner
Jay Harrison

Colorado Avalanche
Peter Mueller

Columbus Blue Jackets
Radek Martinek

Florida Panthers
Marcel Goc

Minnesota Wild
Guillaume Latendresse
Marek Zidlicky

New York Islanders
Nino Niederreiter

New York Rangers
Marc Staal
Michael Sauer

Ottawa Senators
Milan Michalek

Philadelphia Flyers
Ian Laperriere
Chris Pronger
Brayden Schenn
Claude Giroux

Phoenix Coyotes
Kurt Sauer

Pittsburgh Penguins
Nick Petersen
Zbynek Michalek
Kris Letang
Sidney Crosby
Robert Bortuzzo

St. Louis Blues
Andy McDonald

Washington Capitals
Jay Beagle

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Again, that's just a list of confirmed names currently dealing with concussions at the NHL level. We're not speculating on any of the million other potential claims we know exist - just what's written in stone.

Scary, huh? Some big names, no question about it. The most damning part, though, is that by a quick count, half of the National Hockey League has players dealing with these kinds of season and career-altering injuries - many for a second (or third) time.

Every skater in the National Hockey League knows that there's an undeniable risk when taking to the ice. In fact, that's a truth which holds constant in most every form of athletic competition. Hockey, a speed built on speed and physicality, is an incredibly dangerous recipe when it comes to the variety of injuries a player can come across over the course of his career.

Blows to the head can't possibly be eradicated from the game completely unless the entire sport changes. But, is the NHL doing enough to protect the players during the actual sixty minutes of hockey played? At what point does the realizable risk for a player under contract become far too egregious? And, are the skaters on the ice playing with enough respect for the game and one another - at least to the point where the 'targeting' of another player is marginal?

At the center of this debate are two sides who seemingly have very little grasp on - well, everything. Player agents and their respective athletes - obviously staunch advocates of player safety - continue to trumpet a concussion epidemic, yet also endorse - whether explicitly or implicitly - some aspects of the game which essentially guarantee additional injury.

On the other side, you have hockey die-hards who refuse to understand the natural progression of concussion study. Some are hockey purists, but refuse to grasp the seemingly insurmountable evidence of just how dangerous this sport is. Often, they ignore reality; that is, the absurd amount of risk these players take with head injuries that are finally being properly diagnosed and treated.

The toughest - and clearly most unknown - variable in the whole situation is knowing whether or not the concussion issue is actually deteriorating. On its surface, concussions reported would appear up, but that largely has to do with the league's inability to properly diagnose for almost half-a-century. Still, there's a very real possibility that the additional strength, size, and speed of each player on the ice is contributing more and more to violent impact, and subsequently creating more issues with reported head trauma.

Side-note: How awesome was the 24/7 insight re: Claude Giroux? Nice to see how some of the post-concussion testing is handled.

What we're left with is a laundry list of debatable elements of hockey that may or may not lead to concussions. Should we eliminate fighting? Should we eliminate all blows to the head? Should we eliminate hitting? Should we just not play?

It's tough to draw a line. Changing too little would encourage an ugly and continued path of dangerous play. Changing too much would completely alter the sport of 'hockey'. Neither are welcomed by the majority.

While many bicker about the small and unimportant details, I've always been interested in how to properly alleviate the situation. I'd compare it to the 'Target Zero' plan emphasized by some patrol units in the United States, where the end-goal is to process exactly zero DUI claims over the course of a year.

Stopping every single drunk driver is an impossibility. But, setting the benchmark high has worked for the program, as placing emphasis and exposure on the situation has made public more knowledgeable and, subsequently, safer drivers.

Is the parallel weak? Maybe. I'm just trying to stress the point that player safety should be a priority in today's National Hockey League, and it's up to the league office to bring welcomed, positive change that cleans up the sport while keeping the game of hockey in tact. We love hockey because it's hockey. Change the game too much, and fans will dissipate.

No one wants a soft league. The physical nature of the sport is what drives us to the stadium for every home game. But, the reason why the home game is such a successful product is because of the players on the ice. We must protect these assets. The self-aggrandizing nature of writers and fans seems to be the biggest roadblock in cleaning up the game, many of whom don't realize the pitfalls of the sport.

The whole, "Well, they're paid handsomely!" argument as a counter to player safety issues is probably the most tiresome of all. You'll hear little argument from me regarding the wealth of players in the NHL, but arguing that money as a safety net for vicious kill shots is simply ridiculous. If you think it's all about money, go have a chat with Marc Savard, who'd undoubtedly trade in some of the change in his bank roll for a healthy lifestyle. The guy is forced into dark rooms for hours on end, courtesy of this drilling:



Should we ignore the ferocity of the hit because Marc Savard is well paid? Yes, there's plenty of people out there who think it's a non-issue because of the checks he cashes. News flash, folks: Many fourth-line guys making chump change have been victimized by illegal head shots, too, and they're not exactly living the dream when it comes to annual income.

At this point, I've only touched the tip of the iceberg on the concussion/post-concussion saga. There's so many unknowns, so many variables, and so many details that the average hockey fan - and writer - have very little grasp on. That's why, rather than pretending to be an expert on all things head injury, I've focused on how to help the game without hurting it.

My best recommendation? Get rid of the Kevlar players are strapped with on game nights. The elbows and shoulder pads players are incredibly hard and undoubtedly increase the impact and damage of each hit. Soften the equipment, soften the blow.

Past that, I'm glad to see the National Hockey League moving to plexiglass after years of watching seamless glass fail to provide any 'give' on impact. It's helping the issue, no question.

Most of all, I think a larger emphasis needs to be placed on a respect for the game among players. Hatred drives this sport, but there's no reason for one player to ever target another on the ice, period. And, should a player go out of his way to do damage with regularity, it's up to the front office to mitigate the issue by sending him packing with no return ticket.

With more and more head injuries, we'll see more and more ideas - and backlash - as to how to clean up the sport.

Do you have any recommendations? Share 'em below.

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Thanks for reading!
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