Today, I looked at my fantasy hockey lineup and noticed that I had 4 injuries. 2 of which were concussions: Jeff Skinner, a former Kitchener Ranger, and Marian Hossa, who often has recieved many concussions in his career. No information was given on how Skinner received the injury, but the Hurricanes released a statement saying that his return before the end of the regular season (late April) was unlikely.
Marian Hossa suffered a concussion after Jannik Hansen (of the Vancouver Canucks) elbowed Hossa in the back of the head. He was helped off the ice and did not return for the game. Last year, in the playoffs against Phoenix, Hossa received the bad end of a boarding penalty by Raffi Torres, who was suspended for 20 games, one of the longest suspensions in NHL history. Hossa suffered the injury in early May, and was not cleared to even skate by doctors until mid November. Both of these players have a long term history of concussions.
This marks the 3rd season straight that Skinner will miss ice time due to a concussion, and this raises the question "How far is too far?" In the NHL, hits are reviewed by the disciplinary committee lead by former NHL star Brendan Shanahan. This committee determines how severe a punishment should be, and hopes to sway players from being repeat offenders of illegal hits. But the safety of players has always been a serious concern in the NHL, and has never been completely resolved.
Sure, hockey is a contact sport, and is fuelled by strong emotions, but how far are the players allowed to go to make contact with an opposing player? The primary purpose of a body check in hockey is to separate the player from the puck. But now it's used to intimidate and cause harm to the other team, with no regard for player safety.
Hockey Canada recently released an app for most mobile devices containing medical information for concussions, proper procedures for medicating a concussion, a function to find the nearest hospital for injuries in away games, and a hotline with trained physicians on call 24/7 to help with concussion symptoms. This app also has a general guideline for diagnosing a concussion, and determining when it is safe to return to play. We are seeing a general rise in awareness at lower levels of hockey, but not in the NHL, and that needs to change.
Anyone can be affected by a concussion, even the great Sidney Crosby, who sat out 10 months after the Winter Classic incident.
Marian Hossa suffered a concussion after Jannik Hansen (of the Vancouver Canucks) elbowed Hossa in the back of the head. He was helped off the ice and did not return for the game. Last year, in the playoffs against Phoenix, Hossa received the bad end of a boarding penalty by Raffi Torres, who was suspended for 20 games, one of the longest suspensions in NHL history. Hossa suffered the injury in early May, and was not cleared to even skate by doctors until mid November. Both of these players have a long term history of concussions.
This marks the 3rd season straight that Skinner will miss ice time due to a concussion, and this raises the question "How far is too far?" In the NHL, hits are reviewed by the disciplinary committee lead by former NHL star Brendan Shanahan. This committee determines how severe a punishment should be, and hopes to sway players from being repeat offenders of illegal hits. But the safety of players has always been a serious concern in the NHL, and has never been completely resolved.
Sure, hockey is a contact sport, and is fuelled by strong emotions, but how far are the players allowed to go to make contact with an opposing player? The primary purpose of a body check in hockey is to separate the player from the puck. But now it's used to intimidate and cause harm to the other team, with no regard for player safety.
Hockey Canada recently released an app for most mobile devices containing medical information for concussions, proper procedures for medicating a concussion, a function to find the nearest hospital for injuries in away games, and a hotline with trained physicians on call 24/7 to help with concussion symptoms. This app also has a general guideline for diagnosing a concussion, and determining when it is safe to return to play. We are seeing a general rise in awareness at lower levels of hockey, but not in the NHL, and that needs to change.
Anyone can be affected by a concussion, even the great Sidney Crosby, who sat out 10 months after the Winter Classic incident.
