By Bob Haynes (@BobHaynesJr)
The list is growing. Sidney Crosby, Chris Pronger, Claude Giroux, Jeff Skinner, Ryan Miller, Milan Michalek, Janni Pitkanen, and others are all currently injured with concussions or post-concussion issues. It is time to treat this as a serious threat to the game. If the players keep dropping the attendance will as well eventually. It is time to act as though there is a serious threat to the game. It is time for the NHLPA and NHL to get together and change the padding and head protection in the game. Simply suspending players for illegal hits is not changing the results fast enough.
The first move is to have every player wear full face protection and helmets that compare with the helmets of the NFL. It is absolutely amazing that NHL players get more concussions than NFL players. On virtually every play in a football game players are hit to the head, but the helmets they wear are much better padded, the chin straps are tight, and the faces are covered to protect direct jaw impacts. Commissioner Gary Bettman brags consistently on his radio show how the NHL is so progressive on issues, and while I generally agree, on this issue the league is behind. I know the players say that they are not used to playing with a cage or face shield, but if every player must adapt the change is universal and fair for everyone.
Simultaneously remove the hard plastic shell from the elbow and shoulder pads. This covering only increases the impact of hits across the league. It really protects the player so well on the shoulder and elbow that they cannot even feel how hard they are hitting others with this modern armor. I know these are drastic steps, but the rule changes have increased the speed of the game so much that players are much more vulnerable than ever before to huge collisions. If the player delivering the hit feels more of the impact without the armor protecting them, they will naturally slow down.
The NHL must be commended for the concussion protocol in place. Teams are following it to the letter and the player safety is a concern. However, this action would be a proactive method for player safety instead of a reactive method. Even if the changes were made for games tomorrow, it would still not protect the crazy type of concussion like Giroux received by getting hit with a knee pad to the head, but virtually every other concussion this season would have been prevented as players were impacted to the face and jaw with this armor like pads, pucks, or sticks.
In the last two decades the league has lost many great players to concussions. Both Eric and Brett Lindros, Keith Primeau, Mike Richter, Matthew Barnaby, Scott Stevens, Adam Deadmarsh, Pat Lafontaine, and more have retired from the game due to concussions. This second wave is claiming the best and brightest at an alarming rate. This injury is not claiming just the marginal player. It is affecting players of all skill types across the league, from 4th line players all the way to the best players in the game. There have been great forwards, defensemen, and goalies that have been affected. The time to act is now and the only way to truly impact the game in a positive way is to begin acting proactively instead of reactively.
Good Night and Good Hockey!
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