NHL announces plan to limit concussions

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Monday a new five-step plan to try to limit the number of concussions sustained by players, TSN reported.

Speaking at the start of the NHL general managers' meetings, Bettman said the first step is for NHL vice president of hockey and business development Brendan Shanahan to talk with the NHL Players Association about how the league can improve equipment to better protect against concussions.

The second step involves revisions to the current protocol for the immediate care of a head injury. Bettman said a player suspected of having a concussion should be taken to a quiet area where a doctor that is not employed by the team can examine him. The player would be required to pass a SCAT test before returning to action.

Bettman said a team and head coach will now face punishment, in addition to the offending player, for repeat violations of Rule 48 which prohibits "a lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted."

The league also plans to deploy safety engineers to each of the NHL's 30 arenas to make sure the playing area conforms to higher safety standards.

Lastly, Bettman intends to convene a panel to discuss ways that the league can prevent concussions. Former defenseman Rob Blake, Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, and Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk are expected to participate along with Shanahan.

The NHL is facing a similar problem to the NFL in attempting to address concussions without limiting the physicality that draws many fans to the game. Several incidents this season have combined to put a greater focus on head injuries suffered by hockey players.

Penguins center Sidney Crosby, arguably the league's most recognized star, has missed the past two months after sustaining a concussion.

Last week, Montreal forward Max Pacioretty suffered a severe concussion and a broken vertrebra in his neck after being checked into a glass partition by Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara. The six-foot-nine Chara was not suspended or fined for the hit.

But despite more media attention, the NHL says concussions sustained on hits to the head are actually down this season.

"The concussions resulting from hits to the head, whether you categorize them as legal or illegal, are actually down this year," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in advance of Monday's meetings.

"For whatever reason, we are getting more concussions, either from accidental contacts or secondary contacts, by a player hitting his head on the ice, after being hit legally body to body or hitting his head against the boards."

Bettman said Monday that the league has reviewed each concussion from this season on which video was available, and found that 26 percent were caused by "accidental" collisions. Hits that the NHL deemed "legal" accounted for 44 percent of concussions, 17 percent resulted from an "illegal" hit, and eight percent were sustained in fights.

Last season, 44 percent of games missed by players were due to concussions, but the NHL says that number is down to 17 percent this season.

The new plan comes less than two weeks after researchers at Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy found that late NHL player Bob Probert suffered from a chronic brain disorder called CTE.

The disorder is suspected of having connections to symptoms such as depression, memory loss, erratic behavior and dementia, and has also been found in the brains of many deceased former NFL players.

The longtime Detroit Red Wing was known during his 16-year career for his physical play and frequent fights.

"How much is the hockey and how much is the fighting, we don't really know," said Dr. Robert Cantu, co-director of the Boston University center, after announcing the findings on March 3.

"We haven't definitely established that the skills of hockey as a sport lead to a certain percentage of participants developing CTE. But it can happen to hockey players, and while they're still relatively young."