THE NHL TODAY: CONCUSSION ANYONE?

With the spate of concussions occurring in the NHL this year (and those carrying over from last season) you have to think, 'What the hell is going on?" Let's enumerate:

1. Sydney Crosby

2. Chris Letang

3. Zbynek Michalek 

And that's just for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

4. Chris Pronger - Philadelphia
5. Claude Giroux - Philadelphia

6. Miland Michalek (Zbynek's bother) - Ottawa

On top of that you have the deaths of three former NHL enforcers Derke Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Balek within four months of each other earlier this year.

The New York Times reported that at the time of Boogaard's death there was evidence of severe CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) that causes emotional liability and cognitive deficits similar to Alzheimer's.

OK. That's for those guys which may also explain Crosby and Pronger but what about the new injuries this year? I thought the NHL was starting over on this issue? There have been a few nasty hits this season, the one on Letang in particular, but from what I've seen it appears that the game has become a bit more civilized. So what's up? Unfortunately all of the active players named have been playing hockey since they were five. So I can understand "cumulative" effects.

I have yet to see Alex Ovechkin play so I don't know if he's toned-down his "pinball" STYLEof play or not. I guess I could look at his PIMs and figure out if that may be the case, but then again, he wasn't called much for trying to put people through the boards after skating across the entire ice surface.

Former player Jermey Roenick has stated that hits with shoulders and elbows and hits from behind along the boards as well as hits involving players who have just jumped onto the ice for most of the problems.

NHL Commissioner and famous know-nothing Gary Bettman has indicated it's to early to be make changes based on limited information such as that regarding Boogaard's. While the NHLPA's Donald Fehr has said, "The findings released by Boston University to the New York Times regarding CTE found in Derek Boogaard's brain, and the forthcoming medical journal article, should be seriously considered by everyone associated with the game. It is certainly important information that we will be discussing with the Players."

Reigning-in repeat offenders as the NHL did with Matt Cooke should be a start and it should apply to ALL players, not just the third and fourth liners. By the way, with his game altered, Cooke is having one of the best scoring starts of his career.

I would add a caveat here that my comments do not contradict my defense of NFL players such as James Harrison. In football the object IS to hit people hard and take them to the ground. That's what determines the end of each play. Not so in hockey.