Head Injuries

Pic provided by National Post

   Head injuries are becoming a much too common theme in today's NHL. Last night saw another instance of high hits to the head as Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins was carried off the ice on a stretcher after being blindsided by Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The GM's of the National Hockey League are meeting to discuss what actions need to be taken to prevent such horrible instances in the future. Players need to be more aware of their body movements when making such hits. It is easy to say that they are moving quickly and sometimes the hits are unavoidable however, the hit on Savard was taking liberties at a player that could not protect himself.

   There have been an over abundance of hits to the head this season that have had devastating affects. The only thing to ask is where do you draw the line? In October Mike Richards nearly decapitated David Booth of the Florida Panthers but there was no suspension for the hit. The hit was within the league rules as a shoulder to the head. David Booth was admiring his pass as he crossed the center of the offensive zone when Richards caught him. This example seems to be more often then not what is happening in most cases, where as with Savard he was shooting the puck with his head out in front and Matt Cooke chose to take advantage. I think when the league goes to look at plays like this there may be gray area. Everyone seems to be saying that there must be a clear cut rule to prevent any future instances like this but that would mean taking out shoulder to head hits. The league does the best it can for policing hits to the head with anything else like elbows but at the end of the day it comes down to the players. The players have to make the decision of possibly letting up when others are in a vulnerable position as opposed to ending their season or possibly career. This doesn't have to mean taking hitting out of the game, it is just a matter of safety for your fellow players. Here is the clip of Matt Cooke's hit on Marc Savard, you decide for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_F7LEZ78_o

  Another issue is the hard glass that surrounds the boards. Hitting the boards is becoming a dangerous issue for players now as the heavy glass that is made to be perfect to see through for the fans and is causing head injuries as well. Players have been taking seemingly innocent hits against the boards and seriously hurting themselves as their heads bounce off the glass. I was watching the Coyotes game in February just before the Olympic break and witnessed Petr Prucha get taken off on a stretcher due to a hit from James Neal of the Dallas Stars. Neal was not suspended for the hit. Here is a clip of that play as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZzEOVZcz-s