Ashleigh G.

Smith

Professor Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1104 – TR 1:00PM

April 4, 2019

How the National Hockey League is Skating Around Concussions

The National Hockey League (NHL) has been an organization for over 100 years.

Fighting has been included in all 102 years of the league’s existence. Fighting goes hand-in-hand

with injuries, especially head injuries. In fact, the league used to require players to remove their

helmets before engaging in a fight in order to protect their hands, instead of their heads. It was

not until the 2013-2014 season that it became a two-minute penalty if you removed your helmet

prior to a fight (Wyshynski 2013). While many things have changed in 102 years, fighting still

remains, which means head injuries—concussions, more specifically still remain.

History of Fighting in the NHL?

Concussions are the most common and least serious type of traumatic brain injuries

(“Concussion”). The word comes from the Latin concutere, meaning “to shake violently”

(“Concussion”). Concussions are most often caused by a sudden direct blow to the head. These

hits are often called sub-concussive blows (“Concussion”). Essentially, a concussion is the

bruising of your brain, it’s blood vessels and nerves (“Concussion”). Concussions are tricky to

diagnose because signs may not appear for days or weeks after the initial injury (“Concussion”).

Symptoms of a concussion may include, but are not limited to: confusion or feeling dazed,

clumsiness, slurred speech, nausea or vomiting, headache, balance problems or dizziness, blurred

vision, sensitivity to light and noise, sluggishness, ringing in ears, sluggishness, behavior or

personality changes, concentration difficulties, and memory loss (“Concussion”). “Concussions

are graded as mild (grade 1), moderate (grade 2), or severe (grade 3), depending on such factors

as loss of consciousness, amnesia, and loss of equilibrium” (“Concussion”). It is important for all

athletes to take care of a concussion and refrain from physical activity in order to keep post-

concussion syndrome (PCS) at bay.

Sidney Crosby was drafted to the NHL as the first pick in the first round of the 2005

draft. In his thirteen years in the league Crosby has won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership

Award, two Art Ross trophies, two Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophies, three Ted Lindsay

awards, two Hart Memorial trophies, two Conn Smythe trophies, three Stanley Cups, two

Olympic gold medals, a World Cup with Canada, and even an Emmy. Needless to say, Crosby is

undoubtedly one of the NHL’s best players. Many fans and analysts of the game argue that

Crosby is even better than greats Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Brett Hull, Bobby Orr, and

Gordie Howe, just to name a few. However, Sidney Crosby’s concussive history has a list longer

than all of the aforementioned combined. Now, this is likely due to the fact that records of

concussions were simply not kept before Crosby’s time. But, is also speaks to the fact that the

dangers of the game have not changed much, if at all. At this point in the NHL’s history,

concussions should be almost nonexistent, so why has Sidney Crosby missed 114 games, nearly

one and a half regular seasons, in his career due to concussion-related issues? If the NHL is

doing nothing to protect their “golden boy” what are they doing for their “less valuable” players?

What will it take for the NHL to change their concussion protocols or the way the game is

played—more players dying? Were Rick Rypien, or Derek Boogaard, or Wade Belak, in addition

to others, not enough?

CONCUSSIONS TO CTE
 Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain condition associated with repeated

blows to the head. The brain of an individual who suffers from CTE slowly deteriorates and will

over time end up losing mass. Certain parts of the brain are prone to atrophy, while other parts

are liable to becoming enlarged. “Another aspect of CTE is that some areas of the brain

experience an accumulation of tau protein, a substance which serves to stabilize cellular

structure in the neurons, but which may become defective and subsequently may cause major

interference with the function of the neurons” (BIRI). A build of tau protein is most often seen in

individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (BIRI). The BIRI states that potential signs

and symptoms of CTE can be “loss of memory, difficulty controlling impulsive or erratic

behavior, impaired judgement, behavioral disturbances including aggression and depression,

difficulty with balance, and a gradual onset of dementia” (BIRI). CTE can only be diagnosed

post-mortem, at this point. CTE has been diagnosed in several notable cases which received

widespread media attention, including the deaths of three NHL enforcers, the suicide death of

NFL player Junior Seau, professional wrestler Chris Benoit who committed suicide after

murdering his wife and son, and most recently the 2018 death of the Minnesota-Duluth

University hockey star, Andrew Carroll.

Studies prove that the chances of developing Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia

increase by 80% after you receive three or more concussions. Daniel Carcillo, a former NHL

player and two-time Stanley Cup Champion says, “that’s fucking scary” (The Players Tribune

[TPT], 2018). “I’d be scared,” Carcillo continues. “If I was still playing in the NHL. If I was

Sidney Crosby, if I was anyone of those young kids” (TPT, 2018). Carcillo claims that he would

have walked away from hockey if he knew the damage he was doing to his brain. He believes

that the NHL and NHLPA are withholding information from the players and that they are not
doing enough for these players after their concussions. He claims that the NHL will send you to a

doctor or a surgeon instead of someone who actually has the ability to correctly diagnose and

treat a concussion. In fact, Carcillo is quotes as saying “You can take my name off the Stanley

Cup twice over. I can’t live like that anymore.” in response to being asked about his feelings

towards how the NHL and NHLPA handles concussions in their players (TPT, 2018). Carcillo is

one of the very few hockey players to speak out against the NHL and the NHLPA.

In conclusion, many people feel as though fighting should be removed from the game of

hockey, and especially from the NHL. The incidence rate of concussions, even among star

players like Sidney Crosby, is much too high. These athletes are dying from concussions, which

in multiples, lead to CTE. CTE then has the potential to lead to a multitude of other issues like

early on-set Dementia and Alzheimer’s, drug addiction, and even suicidal behaviors and

tendencies. Because concussions are difficult to diagnose and CTE cannot be diagnosed until

post mortem, many, including the NHL and NHLPA, believe that head injuries are not an issue

to be concerned with. However, a large majority of fans, coaches, analysts, and former and

current players believe that concussions should be taken seriously; much more seriously than

they are currently. The NHL has to make a big change to the game of hockey, and soon, if they

want to keep the league and their players alive.

Lacy:

-If you are going to add headings, maybe do three/four or even five, I know there are still

three more pages to write but, in the end, just have more than two if you are going to end

up adding them

-Maybe add another sentence or two to your introduction to make the reader gain more

knowledge on your topic before you go into detail on your main points

-Proofread!

-Add some more questions into your paragraphs to keep the reader engaged with your

paper over the whole course of time they read it

-I can see this paper developing over the course of reading it and I think it will turn out

very interesting after the three other pages are added as well, I am super interested in the

stuff you’re discussing

 Works Cited

BIRI. “What Is CTE?” What Is CTE? | Brain Injury Research Institute,

www.protectthebrain.org/Brain-Injury-Research/What-is-CTE-.aspx.

“Concussion: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatments, & Recovery.” WebMD. WebMD. n.d.

www.webmd.com/brain/concussion-traumatic-brain-injury-symptoms-causes-

treatments#1. Accessed 15 March 2019.

The Players Tribune. Former NHL Player Daniel Carcillo Discusses Head Trauma and

Treatment, YouTube, 14 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4BySsH6FgQ.

Accessed 16 March 2019.

Wyshynski, Greg. “NHL Fighters Will Be Penalized for Removing Helmets before Brawl; Pass

or Fail?” Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo!, 17 Sept. 2013, 9:58AM, sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-

puck-daddy/nhl-fighters-penalized-removing-helmets-brawl-pass-fail-135847202--

nhl.html. Accessed 15 March 2019.