"New twist on Fighting, Concussions"
I'm sure we all actually clicked on the link. If you did, skip this paragraph. The point I want you to get from that article is fighting is not the at the heart of the problem. 1.12% chance for injury per player per fight is extremely low (data according to the study done in the article.) The best line, and the doctor's conclusion from the study: the risk of injury from a hockey fight is "pretty damn low." Trust him, he's a doctor. The article goes into details about power of punches, etc., but if you read it you would already know that.
We're all on the same page now. Fighting is not the issue at hand when it comes to concussions and head trauma. The NHL knows this and is focusing on the true issue: headshots and dangerous hits. A prime example of the dangers of headshots is the Matt Cooke hit on Marc Savard.
Matt Cooke elbows Marc Savard
There is no quick fix for concussions or post-concussion symptoms. Players can be out for a month or a year with no timetable for return. Savard isn't the only player taken out of the game due to concussions. Currently superstar Sidney Crosby and Rangers' shut-down defencemen Marc Staal are both out while experiencing post-concussion symptoms. Crosby was hit during the Winter Classic against Washington (and then again a few days later) and Staal was hit by his own brother, Eric, during a game last season. Numerous other players, both stars and grinders have been forced out of the game due to injuries from headshots (concussions) and other dangerous plays.
Mike Richter
Geoff Courtnall
Keith Primeau
Scott Stevens
Adam Deadmarsh
Pat LaFontaine
Eric Lindros
Steve Moore (see below for incident)
Bertuzzi hits Moore, ends Moore's career
Accidental and intentional headshots are equally dangerous and Brendan Shanahan has the duty of eliminating them from the game along with and other dangerous hits. While this will never happen we all hope he can greatly diminish the number of headshots each game and season. Currently, his official title is Vice President of Hockey and Business Operations, but he is in the spotlight for succeeding Colin Campbell as the NHL's chief player disciplinarian. Shanahan is probably best know for his time spent with the Detroit Red Wings, where he won the Stanley Cup three times. On that team, Shanahan witnessed first hand the dangers of the headshots and cheapshots he is preventing (see Lemieux-Draper). He never wants that type of situation to happen again.
Shanahan wasted no time in trying to set a standard which was previously lacking under Campbell. He's levied suspensions against players starting from the pre-season and continuing into the current season. He and his team are closely looking at each dangerous hit to determine every suspension and fine. During this process they must determine: if the hit was actually illegal and, if so, was it accidental or intentional; if the player being hit changed positions at the last moment causing a clean hit to become dangerous; if the player was injured during the hit; if the hitting player is a repeat offender. Shanahan will have no tolerance for dangerous plays and hopes to prevent another Marc Savard situation in the future. One of the most important things Shanahan is doing with the suspensions is releasing short video explanations of why the fine or suspension was or was not given. This not only gives the media and the players in question an explanation, but allows other players around the league to learn what is being shut down and perhaps the next time a player is going in for a hit he'll spark the memory of that video and keep an elbow down, thereby preventing an injury.
Some Examples:
This occurred during the preseason, but is a great example of how Shanahan is looking at each and every factor in his evaluations.
Until next time!
~John
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