Just An Observation

I was under the impression that it’s really not the helmets that are resulting in all these concussions. Obviously players need to have them strapped up properly, or situations such as Sauer can occur. I thought that it was the mere collisions and the “jarring” of the brain inside the player’s skull that causes conscussions. If that’s the case, there isnt a whole lot more a better helmet can do to help prevent concussions, other than remaining on so their heads dont hit the ice/boards.

It comes down to the increase in speed and strength of the players who are padded up like armored missiles these days. About a year ago Shannahan came out and "jokingly’ said that the way to prevent concussions was to have everyone wear the same shoulder pads he wore when he played. In principle, you would think it would prevent, or at least hinder, players from carelessly throwing their body around. Its similar to th comparisons of rugby and football. People wonder how Rugby players dont get killed the way football players do, and part of it is the fact they are covered in armor that allows them to fly around like a guided missle.

I may be way off here, but just firing that out there.

When I played, we were forced to wear helmets and that was ok, but player never hit from behind for two reasons….
One, as a player, you were never stupid enough to turn your back to the play or to put yourself in a position were another player good cream you and Two, as a hockey player, I never wanted to take a cheap shot at another player when he had his back to me…..
We also kept our sticks down when we finished off checks and never went after someone’s head….
There is just a total lack of respect for other players in hockey today at advanced levels…..

1. Sidney Crosby
2. Claude Giroux
3. Mike Richards
4. Michael Sauer
5. Jeff Skinner
6. Joni Pitkanen
7. Kris Letang
8. Chris Pronger
9. Zbynek Michalek
10. Robert Bortuzzo
11. Jay Beagle
12. Milan Michalek
13. Brayden Schenn
14. Radek Martinek
15. Marek Zidlicky
16. Nathan Gerbe
17. Brian Rolston
18. Nino Niederreiter
19. Peter Mueller
20. Ryan Wilson
21. Andy McDonald

I’m not sure this list is comprehensive and obviously it doesn’t include Marc Staal.

1/3rd of these players are All-Stars

It is an uphill battle to try to make huge rule changes or expand to a larger ice surface, but it amazes me that they have not done some of the little things like making those special impact helmets mandatory, decreasing shoulder and elbow pad size, hybrid icing, and maybe even removing the instigator rule.

The issue of fighting is a non-issue to me. Only 10% of concussions come from fighting and by now, every enforcer is aware of the dangers of his career choice, same as a boxer. Almost nobody is ever in a fight that is not a willing participant, so it is a risk that anyone can avoid if they choose too.

it does seem like there’s a lack of respect for other players in today’s game, I am shocked the NHL has done nothing to address this issue.

I thought it was only me who noticed a scary trend of concussions on the rise in 2011-2012

Btw, this is a great column to add to your weekly reading:
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/opinion/2011/12/what-to-do-with-suter-weber-30-thoughts.html

On widening the ice:

Widening Rinks

Hockey Night In Canada colleague Eric Francis reported Saturday that widening the ice surface to cut down on the number of concussions could cost $12 million per arena, one reason why teams are saying, “No thanks.”

After Saturday’s Hotstove segment, former NHL head coach and current NHL Network analyst Gary Green reached out with more detailed information. Green is a senior director at BBB Architects, a company heavily involved in arena construction and remodelling. The very successful Madison Square Garden renovation is one of BBB’s most recent projects.

“A few years ago, there was some interest in looking into a new type of [rink] construction,” Green said. "The Hartwall Areena in Helsinki set the precedent.

“We built it [in 1997] with an ice surface of 200 × 94 [feet].”

Prior to that, Olympic-sized ice was 200 × 100. After Hartwall’s completion, the International Ice Hockey Federation amended its rulebook to allow for the slimmer width. NHL dimensions are 200 × 85.

“There was so much discussion, we had some of our architects look at what it would really involve,” Green said. "It’s correct that it would be $10-$12 million in construction costs, but there was more than that.

“The lost revenues from some of your best seats weren’t just a one-time thing. They were forever lost.”

But it wasn’t just about revenue. Murray Beynon, one of the Bs in BBB (he’s a partner), looked at the diagrams and saw another major problem.

“The sightlines would be miserable,” Green said. "Depending on where you were sitting, you’d lose the ability to see players up against the boards … the angles of the seats needed to be changed.

“You would have to rip out the entire bowl and redo it. You might as well build a new arena.”

And how many NHL teams are looking to do that right now? Four? (I’m counting Calgary, Detroit, Edmonton and the Islanders.) That’s not enough to make an impact.

Green said the study took place about five years ago. It was shared with the NHL and with current Toronto Maple Leafs president and GM Brian Burke, who took an interest in the idea. After seeing BBB’s diagram, the idea went the way of the one-referee system.

Pretty interesting stuff, though.