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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Concussion, repercussion

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 11/23/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

(DALE CUMMINGS)

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh superstar and Canada’s poster boy for hockey supremacy, put on a show Monday in his first game since a season-ending concussion last January when he was driven into the boards.

Many players have yet to rack up the four points Mr. Crosby notched against the Islanders. The hockey universe could breathe easy.

Mr. Crosby’s recovery, such as it is, through unconventional therapy (spinning about in a gyroscope, as recommended by a chiropractor) has given everyone an idea of how little is known about concussions. It also triggered observers and insiders to demand the NHL protect its "core asset" from the crushing, life-threatening head injuries.

It is telling this effort came as fans feared for the loss to the game that would follow should Mr. Crosby be gone for good. Little was said about concussions before Sid the Kid left the ice in January, about the careers of lesser beings cut short. A survey showed the NHL averages 51 to 89 concussion per year, giving some sense of the lives reduced in scope or longevity due to brain injuries that did not register such outrage.

The league says it is doing better: Tighter enforcement of dirty hits and greater attention to the problem has cut in half the number of concussions over last year at this point — 19 players have sustained concussions or exhibit similar symptoms. The fact is that hockey has dragged its feet on the issue.

Football, amateur and professional, particularly in the United States, has moved faster to prevent, detect and promote healing of concussions.

Getting serious would mean introducing hitting later and coming down harder on illegal hits. Leagues must mandate lighter protection for shoulders and elbows. Equipment has done a bad job of protecting brains — helmets protect the skull, alone.

More associations and clubs are adopting concussion testing, which gives an imperfect account of when a player can return to the ice (or football or soccer field). Research shows that many football players with neurological injuries do not show symptoms of concussion.

Relying on severity of a hit, or self-reported injury, is a clumsy way to separate the healthy from the hurt.

Sidney Crosby, 24, had a great, albeit safe game Monday and he may have a great year.

But the apparent rise of a phoenix must not ease the pressure on hockey clubs and leagues to get tougher on prevention, smarter on detection and stricter about when players can return to the ice. Finally, parents, who often live vicariously through their children, must recognize growing evidence a little hit can be a dangerous thing.

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