NHL Looking into Concussions
Earlier this year in August, safety was the talk of the town during World Hockey Summit held in Toronto. Among other subjects brought up during the summit, the junior leagues were also the focus of a few discussions. The general consensus was that body checking
is being introduced too early into the minors and young kids are being put under too severe a physical strain. Before the summit’s conclusion, it was clear that younger players needed to be more thoroughly taught what constitutes a legitimate hit and make
sure that the players aren’t too reckless with themselves or their fellow players’ bodies. In Alberta, where body checking is allowed at an early age, young teenagers suffer an annual 700 concussions.
Also this year, the NFL has come under serious scrutiny. The Football League was accused of neglecting the effects of concussion and head injuries to players and following the criticism, the NFL tried to get its act together. A study found that NFL players
have a much higher risk of brain damage. Even players who had not sustained concussions were still likely to develop brain damage.
Ice Hockey is just as intense a sport as football but it is different. The risks are different, the atmosphere is different and thus, what is true for the NFL is not necessarily true for the NHL.
So, now a new study is being launched into the long term physical effects of professional hockey with a particular focus on concussions. Dr. Michael J. Stuart with the Mayo Clinic has been busy organizing the ‘Ice Hockey Summit: Action on concussion’ conference.
The stated objective of the summit is to develop a workable action plan to reduce the risk of concussions in Ice Hockey and also manage the consequences.
Dr. Stuart has been working to that end for a while now. He wants to change Ice Hockey, make it more agreeable. Dr. Stuart says that there is a ‘culture of retribution’ plaguing the world of Ice Hockey that needs to be removed. In his dealings with younger
players, he has been trying to get that message across. “I try to show them that you don’t have to kill the other guy to separate him from the puck.” He added that a greater emphasis needs to be put on mutual respect between players and sportsmanship in the
game.
Many NHL players are on board with what Dr. Stuart and others are trying to do. Among them is Sabres' goalie, Ryan Miller. “That’s what we have to get away from in hockey right now, is the culture of ‘I was trying to make a play; therefore it’s not my fault.’”
The NHL is unlikely to change how it plays the game or its intensity overnight but that is not the only objective of the summit of course. Dr. Stuart hopes that the Summit, which begins on Tuesday, would contribute to the information available on concussions
in the sport and with that information leaders from the medical and hockey communities could chalk out a plan to make the sport safer.
The rules already in place and the ones recently added have had a positive effect. Majority of the hits that lead to injuries are not legal. However, most of the times the fact that body checking is allowed, even encouraged, fosters illegal activities which
causes the most injuries.
The dangerous impacts that end up causing concussions or even worst are what hockey fans live for. The sport prides itself in its physicality. Not that the fans aren’t concerned with the safety of their idols, there is just this unspoken agreement in the
hockey world that requires players to risk themselves to an extent to make plays and keep the game entertaining.
Recent changes in the rules with safety in mind have largely been welcomed all around and if there is anything that the summit could cook up would be too. But, there is a need to strike a balance between making sure the game is not unnecessarily perilous
and that safety concerns don’t make the sport dull. That shouldn’t be too difficult.
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