The Business of HockeyDiscuss the financial and business aspects of the NHL. Franchise sales, valuations, TV contracts, ratings, expansion, relocation, the CBA and work stoppage discussion goes here.
Dr. Michael Cusimano Neurosurgery at St. Michael's Hospital (Toronto) was on HTM @SiriusXmNHL Tuesday talking about a systematic review on the Effectiveness of interventions to reduce aggression and injuries among ice hockey players.
Are concussions a big enough issue that helmet manufacturers should step in? Is there a large enough demand for the reinvention of the standard hockey helmet? I mean the companies do put out small attempts to solve problems, but no helmet has been revolutionary or industry-changing. I'm furious about this issue, due to my 3 concussions to date, leaving me with symptoms for a long time.
Are concussions a big enough issue that helmet manufacturers should step in? Is there a large enough demand for the reinvention of the standard hockey helmet? I mean the companies do put out small attempts to solve problems, but no helmet has been revolutionary or industry-changing. I'm furious about this issue, due to my 3 concussions to date, leaving me with symptoms for a long time.
Let me know what you think!
I believe Mark Messier's come out with a new line of helmets, launched 2 or 3yrs ago that purportedly do offer considerably more protection than those that were or are currently available from various manufacturers. And no mistake, this is a very serious issue, as post concussion syndrome can be an incredibly debilitating & life altering condition with extremely grave consequences for those affected by it.... and my sympathies to you & yours. Cant be an easy thing to deal with almost every waking minute. Beyond sad really.
@Killion "I believe Mark Messier's come out with a new line of helmets, launched 2 or 3yrs ago that purportedly do offer considerably more protection than those that were or are currently available from various manufacturers. And no mistake, this is a very serious issue, as post concussion syndrome can be an incredibly debilitating & life altering condition with extremely grave consequences for those affected by it.... and my sympathies to you & yours. Cant be an easy thing to deal with almost every waking minute. Beyond sad really."
Thanks a lot and yeah I agree. Except, I was once told that the Messier helmet is actually one of the helmets on the market that is said to reduce concussions, however it is like any other helmet today. Its too bad; I guess no one has really found the solution yet.
Pretty complicated & complex issue. Though it speeded up the game a lot, the removal of the centre ice red line created a real killing zone between the two blue lines, even more steam on the rush, and you get a guy who knows how to hit playing defence at the top of the hash marks and concussions are just gonna happen. Better helmets, soft capped shoulder & elbow pads & sadly, the reintroduction of the centre ice red line should in my opinion be implemented & mandated. No game is worth someones life.
@Killion "I believe Mark Messier's come out with a new line of helmets, launched 2 or 3yrs ago that purportedly do offer considerably more protection than those that were or are currently available from various manufacturers. And no mistake, this is a very serious issue, as post concussion syndrome can be an incredibly debilitating & life altering condition with extremely grave consequences for those affected by it.... and my sympathies to you & yours. Cant be an easy thing to deal with almost every waking minute. Beyond sad really."
Thanks a lot and yeah I agree. Except, I was once told that the Messier helmet is actually one of the helmets on the market that is said to reduce concussions, however it is like any other helmet today. Its too bad; I guess no one has really found the solution yet.
There is no helmet capable of reducing concussions as no helmet can stop the brain from hitting against the inner walls of the skull during a high impact collision.
There is no helmet capable of reducing concussions as no helmet can stop the brain from hitting against the inner walls of the skull during a high impact collision.
Yep. The main way to reduce concussions is to reduce sudden stops and starts. Sudden acceleration and deceleration of the brain is just bad for the brain.
Helmets are great for preventing skull fractures, but of limited value in preventing concussions.
It also seems that side-to-side acceleration and whipping the head back are especially problematic. Race car drivers wear head and neck restraint systems.
Crazy idea, but could players wear some sort of neck restraint that prevents the whiplash effect and maybe even limits side to side movement?
Ideally the system would allow full movement and activate or stiffen when it senses sudden acceleration.
Another crazy idea. Neck and helmet airbags that deploy on big impacts. Holds the neck in place, prevents whiplash, and cushions impact.
Probably silly, unworkable ideas. Ah well. Unfortunately, the best way to limit concussions is probably to slow the game down and severely limit hard checking.
Here's a group of guys who want to fight against the current standard of today's helmets and bring a substantially safer helmet to market. I found found them while searching for a safer helmet to buy.
Like and follow them to support their cause! I think if we all team up together, we can make a difference in the sports world and force the production of better helmets. We wont just be helping professional sport players, we will also be helping the tens of millions of kids aspiring to be pro sports players too!
I applaud them on their hard work and support them along their journey!
A local Peewee hockey team has 5 kids out with concussions. And this is in a non checking league!
What I' ve noticed about about players compared to when I played 40 years ago is that offensive players play faster and are more reckless when crashing the net and around the boards. They don't slow down when moving onto those areas, but expect to be able to turn or otherwise manouver their way out with no consideration of what might happen if they lose an edge or get contacted by a player... in some cases from their own team.
Don't know if this akin to blaming **** victims rather than the rapist.
I would have no problem with making penalties more of a deterrent. Rather than call more or longer penalties, simply waive the no icing rule for the penalized team.
New study published on JAMA Neurology looks at the cognitive "health" of 34 former NFL players
Quote:
Objectives To assess cognitive impairment and depression in aging former professional football (National Football League [NFL]) players and to identify neuroimaging correlates of these dysfunctions. Design We compared former NFL players with cognitive impairment and depression, cognitively normal retired players who were not depressed, and matched healthy control subjects.
... Results Of the 34 former NFL players, 20 were cognitively normal. Four were diagnosed as having a fixed cognitive deficit; 8, mild cognitive impairment; 2, dementia; and 8, depression. Of the subgroup in whom neuroimaging data were acquired, cognitively impaired participants showed the greatest deficits on tests of naming, word finding, and visual/verbal episodic memory. We found significant differences in white matter abnormalities in cognitively impaired and depressed retired players compared with their respective controls. Regional blood flow differences in the cognitively impaired group (left temporal pole, inferior parietal lobule, and superior temporal gyrus) corresponded to regions associated with impaired neurocognitive performance (problems with memory, naming, and word finding). Conclusions Cognitive deficits and depression appear to be more common in aging former NFL players compared with healthy controls. These deficits are correlated with white matter abnormalities and changes in regional cerebral blood flow.
The family of Junior Seau has sued the NFL, claiming the former linebacker's suicide was the result of brain disease caused by violent hits he sustained while playing football.
The wrongful death lawsuit, filed Wednesday in California Superior Court in San Diego, blames the NFL for its "acts or omissions" that hid the dangers of repetitive blows to the head. It says Seau developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from those hits, and accuses the NFL of deliberately ignoring and concealing evidence of the risks associated with traumatic brain injuries.
Seau died at age 43 of a self-inflicted gunshot in May. He was diagnosed with CTE, based on posthumous tests, earlier this month.
An Associated Press review in November found that more than 3,800 players have sued the NFL over head injuries in at least 175 cases as the concussion issue has gained attention in recent years. More than 100 of the concussion lawsuits have been brought together before U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody in Philadelphia.
ESPN. Brain scans find CTE in living ex-NFL players.
This is the first possible diagnostic test for CTE. Until now it can only be confirmed after death by examining brain tissue samples.
They tested 5 players -- all 5 showed CTE in their brains. Interesting that one of them who revealed he was part of the study claims that he has no symptoms of CTE. 3 were anonymous.
CTE, Lawsuits, and the Future of Professional Hockey
Word came out yesterday that the family of former NFL player Junior Seau filed a wrongful death suit against the NFL, alleging that the league "hid the dangers of repetitive blows to the head."
Mr. Seau committed suicide last year, and examinations of his brain later revealed that he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused in part by hits to the head which injure the brain and can cause long term mental health issues, including depression.
There's also reports that at least two groups of former NFL players are now organizing class action lawsuits against the league, seeking compensation and arguing that the league knew the dangers of repeated hits to the head, but looked the other way to protect their business.
While I'm not a lawyer, and am in no place to judge the overall chance of success such claims stand in court, I do feel that there's a good chance that these kind of lawsuits are only a matter of time for hockey and the NHL as well. The deaths of Wade Belak, Rick Rypien, Derek Boogaard, have already brought focus to the potential risks players face- particularly enforcers. While other levels of hockey (the NCAA in particular) have cracked down on fighting, imposing immediate game disqualifications and suspensions for fighting, the NHL continues to make fighting (and the accompanying blows to the head) a part of the game's overall culture.
All of this (and I know it can't avoid stirring up the entire "fighting as an integral part of hockey" debate) leads me to question what the long-term impact will be on the NHL and business of professional hockey. Columnists, pundits, and even former players in the United States have recently (over the past couple years) started to openly question the future of football. They argue that as the risks become more clear, parents will choose to place their children in other, lower risk sports.
On top of this, there are those who argue that professional football and other sports that involve regular hits to the head (i.e., the NHL) currently find themselves in the position "big tobacco" was in during the 70's and 80's- ripe targets for a series of major lawsuits related to "what they knew, and when they knew it."
I love watching hockey. Millions of us do. But, given what I now know about brain injuries, and the long term damage caused by hits to the head, I can't help but cringe everytime I see yet another contrived fight between designated "enforcers." The gloves drop, the officials otherwise tasked with maintaining standards of play stand to the side, and the entire "ritual" unfolds, with two men who might otherwise have no issues with each other hitting each other in the face so that honor can be served.
It might be a part of the game. It might be tradition. But I can't help but wonder, if the damage it is doing to the men who bravely step up to the challenge is eventually going to bring down the rest of the game with it. In an era of expanding scientific knowledge about the brain and increased concern over safety, can the NHL really hope to avoid becoming caught up in potentially business crippling lawsuits?
Many people fight in the military to fight for your freedom many come in a bag or with limbs missing this in america and canada they are heroes.But as a soldier friend of mine who is from Kamloops told me it's their choice and most have no regrets.If you don't want to play physical sports don't play.Go to your public library and you can find many books written in the 1970's and 80's about brain trauma due to sport.It's nothing new COACHES WOULD FORCE YOU TO PLAY HURT THE LATE RICK MARTIN'S CAREER WAS ENDED DUE TO SCOTTY BOWMAN FORCING HIM TO PLAY WITH A BAD KNEE.
I was thinking about starting a similar thread after the results of Seau's brain examination showed signs of CTE. I suspect, if it hasn't been done already, Seau's name will be added to the class action suit pending against the NFL in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
True enforcers have slowly been going the way of the Dodo bird since the 2005 Lockout. That being said, if the NHL rules committee ever decided to eliminate fighting, and by eliminate I mean change the punishment from a simple 5 minute major to something more deterrant, like a game misconduct and automatic 1 game suspension, it'll be to pre-emptively protect themselves from negligence or wrongful death suits.
and support them along their journey!
