Good Article About NHL Safety

[evolver115]

It's a ESPN article, so some of it is balony... but I got to the end of the article and appreciated the work Bryant put into it.

Take a look: Sidney Crosby's absence from the NHL playoffs brings a new focus to the troubling issue of violence and concussions in hockey. - ESPN

If you subscribe to the position of Bobby Clarke -- whose toothless smile represented the face of the NHL of the 1970s -- the cultural tension between the old fighting-enforcing game and the new one, in which the commissioner's office hands out the fines, is a more important issue than the simple question of the evolution of big hits. To Clarke, the game has stopped policing itself.

To appease the skill-loving crowd, its rules have essentially eliminated the enforcers, the Marty McSorleys who made sure no one took a big run at Gretzky, the Don Saleskis and Dave Schultzes who made sure everyone left Reggie Leach and Clarke alone (although Clarke could fend for himself), the John Wensinks and Stan Jonathans who made sure Jean Ratelle could work his magic.

"They completely changed the game," Clarke told the Bucks County (Pa.) Courier Times last week. "Players can't protect each other. They can't help each other get even. So nobody is afraid to hit. Every team has players who never hit because they knew that if I run you, someone is going to get even. But all that's been taken out. And now we have concussion after concussion after concussion.

"There are hits that are so violent, they're meant to intentionally hurt somebody. We see it too often. … Something has to be done," he said. "Because we all know there are way too many head injuries to our star players. Nobody wants to see [Tim] Connolly out. He's really vulnerable to any type of hit. And now you've got Crosby. Crosby is the best player in the game and he's in trouble now. I think this league really has to be careful."

 

[SLY]

What the hell is balony?

 

[evolver115]

It's what ESpN considers excellent coverage of the National Hockey League

 

[SLY]

 

[evolver115]

so that's what you think about the article

 

[dash]

It all boils down to the players having respect for each other on the ice...You can put it all the rules you want and make elbow pads softer etc., but the bottom line is each player needs to decide if he wants to separate a guy from the puck or put him in the hospital. Longer suspensions for guys that cross the line wouldn't hurt and forget about repeat offender BS, you do the crime, you do the time.

 

[elocomotive]

Longer suspensions for guys that cross the line wouldn't hurt and forget about repeat offender BS, you do the crime, you do the time.

I don't think the repeater offender stuff is BS, but I take your point. The trouble is right now the policy is... nasty hit = we may get you next time, nasty hit + repeat = we got ya. It should be... nasty hit = we got ya, nasty hit + repeat = seriously, you again, take 1/4 season off.

As to the article, I think Clarke is confusing increased concussions with increased AWARENESS of concussions. Back in his day, guys probably played with them on a regular basis b/c we didn't know as much about them and b/c the culture wasn't what it is today. Not to mention the increased coverage on cable, blogs, the Internet, Twitter, 24/7 news on television, sports radio, etc. makes us more aware of all these occurances as well.

The fact is the discipline is a complete joke. I mean, when Matt Cooke has to do ALL the antics he pulled this year just to get about 10 games off, it's a joke. When he did the first stuff he did, he should have gotten 10 games, then he should have gotten double that, and then the NHL needs to say, goodbye. You have very few players in respect to the total number in the league running around making it dangerous for the vast majority. Until the NHL sends a strong message that it's a privilege to play in this league and one that can be taken away, we are going to keep seeing this because the players certainly aren't getting slower and smaller.

 

[mbhhofr]

As to the article, I think Clarke is confusing increased concussions with increased AWARENESS of concussions. Back in his day, guys probably played with them on a regular basis b/c we didn't know as much about them and b/c the culture wasn't what it is today. Not to mention the increased coverage on cable, blogs, the Internet, Twitter, 24/7 news on television, sports radio, etc. makes us more aware of all these occurances as well.

Awareness? I can go back to 1965 when I was reffing a Senior game in Morden, Manitoba. Two referee system. During the second period I got hit on the side of the head with the puck, no helmets then. Play was stopped and a Dr. took me to the dressing room to check me out. He said that I had a mild concussion. I asked him if I could go back out and finish the game. He told me that I could, but he wouldn't be responsible for my death. My partner finished the next period and a half by himself. If a country DR. knew the possible consequence back then, surely the big city doctors knew the possible consequences.

I agree with dash, it's the lack of respect among the players. Also in the past, you wouldn't see all the crap that is going on in the goal crease now. You touch my goalie, yours gets payback.

 

[elocomotive]

Awareness? I can go back to 1965 when I was reffing a Senior game in Morden, Manitoba. Two referee system. During the second period I got hit on the side of the head with the puck, no helmets then. Play was stopped and a Dr. took me to the dressing room to check me out. He said that I had a mild concussion. I asked him if I could go back out and finish the game. He told me that I could, but he wouldn't be responsible for my death. My partner finished the next period and a half by himself. If a country DR. knew the possible consequence back then, surely the big city doctors knew the possible consequences.

I agree with dash, it's the lack of respect among the players. Also in the past, you wouldn't see all the crap that is going on in the goal crease now. You touch my goalie, yours gets payback.

I agree with you on the last point. You also see guys starting fights after perfectly clean hits.

But doesn't your story further illustrate my point in a way? You were given the option to keep reffing, and no way would that happen today. You would be removed from the game and have to wait a long time before you could go back. Yes, we have long known concussions are dangerous, but how dangerous is only recently been known with more certainty and rule changes in hockey and football just in this last season show that.

I don't disagree that lack of respect is a central issue, but I don't think that's much different today than back then. This year you had Matt Cooke. Last decade Todd Bertuzzi sucker punching a guy from behind. Before that Dale Hunter separating Turgeon's should AFTER a goal. The nasty Flyers of the 70s. And on and on. You'll find bad guys and lapses in judgment in every era of hockey.

Human nature doesn't change much, if at all. Rules that make the game faster, faster/stronger/bigger players, harder glass, etc. CAN change in short spans. And the league determines what atmosphere to allow that human nature to play in. The message they are frequently sending is that players won't get much (if anything) for coloring outside the lines. Harsher punishment might not be a perfect solution, but it certainly won't hurt.

 

[dare2be]

I agree with you on the last point. You also see guys starting fights after perfectly clean hits.

But doesn't your story further illustrate my point in a way? You were given the option to keep reffing, and no way would that happen today. You would be removed from the game and have to wait a long time before you could go back. Yes, we have long known concussions are dangerous, but how dangerous is only recently been known with more certainty and rule changes in hockey and football just in this last season show that.

I don't disagree that lack of respect is a central issue, but I don't think that's much different today than back then. This year you had Matt Cooke. Last decade Todd Bertuzzi sucker punching a guy from behind. Before that Dale Hunter separating Turgeon's should AFTER a goal. The nasty Flyers of the 70s. And on and on. You'll find bad guys and lapses in judgment in every era of hockey.

Human nature doesn't change much, if at all. Rules that make the game faster, faster/stronger/bigger players, harder glass, etc. CAN change in short spans. And the league determines what atmosphere to allow that human nature to play in. The message they are frequently sending is that players won't get much (if anything) for coloring outside the lines. Harsher punishment might not be a perfect solution, but it certainly won't hurt.

I don't think he was given an option. The Dr. was being facetious. "Go back out and you could die" is about as strong a message of knowing the danger of concussions as I can think of. The rest of your post is solid.

 

[SLY]

Awareness? I can go back to 1965 when I was reffing a Senior game in Morden, Manitoba. Two referee system. During the second period I got hit on the side of the head with the puck, no helmets then. Play was stopped and a Dr. took me to the dressing room to check me out. He said that I had a mild concussion. I asked him if I could go back out and finish the game. He told me that I could, but he wouldn't be responsible for my death. My partner finished the next period and a half by himself. If a country DR. knew the possible consequence back then, surely the big city doctors knew the possible consequences.

I agree with dash, it's the lack of respect among the players. Also in the past, you wouldn't see all the crap that is going on in the goal crease now. You touch my goalie, yours gets payback.

Wish it were still like that... Unfortunately everything is going soft nowadays. Dont get me wrong, I love to see fights, and I love the edgy side to hockey, but first and foremost I love the sport of hockey... And if someone messes with your netminder or your star player, there should be retribution amongst the players, refs should keep out of it. What sucks is right now were in a twisted gray area where you have players doing just that and refs chiming in at the wrong times, and/or not chiming in when they should.

Perhaps they just need to go one way or the other. Allow players to police themselves, or just take the element out altogether. Because I'll tell you what, the system right now is just shit.

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

Awareness? I can go back to 1965 when I was reffing a Senior game in Morden, Manitoba. Two referee system. During the second period I got hit on the side of the head with the puck, no helmets then. Play was stopped and a Dr. took me to the dressing room to check me out. He said that I had a mild concussion. I asked him if I could go back out and finish the game. He told me that I could, but he wouldn't be responsible for my death. My partner finished the next period and a half by himself. If a country DR. knew the possible consequence back then, surely the big city doctors knew the possible consequences.

I agree with dash, it's the lack of respect among the players. Also in the past, you wouldn't see all the crap that is going on in the goal crease now. You touch my goalie, yours gets payback.

Unless my goalie was Ron Hextall or Billy Smith. In which case you got the payback directly.