*FAN SUBMISSION by Dan Russell of Canada. Follow him on Twitter @danrussell67.*
Being that I’m Canadian, I am a hockey fan by nature. Like most kids, hockey was the first sport I was exposed to, and it’s the one sport I can remember other kids talking and cheering about. Thankfully, my mother (who is from England) bought me a Flyer’s jacket – all spiffy, new, and bright orange – and sent me to school in it, but I don’t think she knew what she had done to me. You see, I was born and raised in Southern Ontario – home of the cherished Toronto Maple Leafs – and now, I was the laughing-stock of all the Leaf fans. Anyhow, I just want my readers to know that I am still a Flyer’s fan, and I do love the physical aspect of hockey; how could I not, being a Broad Street bullied kid some 40-years-ago?
I think we can all remember certain stars falling to a career-ending injury before our very eyes at one point or another; it is inevitable in any contact sport. So, to suggest that concussions be taken out of sports is naive at best. At the very least, there needs to be more action and less talk when it comes to the study of concussions.
Courtesy: Fox Sports Arizona
What better sport to discuss concussions than NHL Hockey? Being that you’ve been brought up to speed about my age, it’s obvious that I have seen my fair share of stars forced to leave the game, that we all love so much. However, their exits have never been from concussions. I know the topic is not openly discussed or often thought of in the medical field (not in the 70’s and 80’s), but I can safely say that it’s the shoulder injuries that I’m trying to remember, and not the hidden head injuries. In this day and age, the word, “concussion,” is considered bad by the likes of head coaches, recently including the Leafs’ Randy Carlyle. Concussions are now coined as an upper body injury, which just furthers the NHL even more so from addressing the major problem that has struck even the best of all current players: Sydney Crosby.
Unfortunately, this problem is still being swept under the carpet, as even Coach Carlyle has insisted that it is the shoulder pads and elbow pads that cause most of the head injuries. I can honestly say that I do not ever remember a rash of shoulder and elbow injuries that warrant a significant increase in body armor, or rather, weaponry being worn by many of the supposed tough guys in the NHL.
Sure, hockey sticks and most other pieces of equipment have evolved, but nothing has become more dangerous to the game than the shoulder and elbow pads being worn. Goalies went through this; pads are inspected, measured, etc.; however, in an age of no accountability or spur of the moment excuses, do we really know what is under a player’s jersey? It is important that before the players even lace-up their skates and leave the locker room, that they know the damage they can cause. So please don’t tell me, “It looked like an innocent hit,” or “It was just the way I caught him.”
In the UFC and boxing, athletes are inspected for foreign objects and/or illegal gloves before they are allowed to enter the ring. Boxers are also asked to submit their gloves for inspection after a fight; this is most likely due to the fact that there are no codes of conduct or ethics – if this weren’t the case, then we would have never seen the likes of mercury loaded boxing gloves. But why aren’t players’ shoulder pads, elbow pads, and other equipment inspected as well, especially for defenseman? Just as in any other contact sport, I feel that this has to be done now. There should be no more excuses and no more stars leaving our beloved sports.
Equipment must be looked into; the older shoulder pads always protected a player as there was never an epidemic of shoulder injuries to warrant titanium-steel-anything! Take the armor and weapons off of these goons ASAP.
I challenge Gary Bettman and Brendan Shanahan to dispute this with me at their convenience. I will be forwarding this to the NHL headquarters, and many other Hockey-related media outlets in my region, nagging them until this issue is addressed. Enough is enough; goalies and athletes in all contact sports are inspected. So, help me campaign the use of protective equipment that does not destroy brain cells. Please share this and get people talking about it!
Grapes, if you’re reading this, then you’re on the list! Please help me, help them.
