THE concept that allowing minor hockey players to bodycheck each other at an earlier age — so they could learn sooner how to give and take a hit — would somehow lead to an overall reduction in injuries was always a suspect argument.
Bodychecking is a form of tackling in Ice Hockey in which one player slams into another. Although it often comes across as gratuitous violence it’s a tactic employed in order to change one another’s speed and/or trajectory on the ice. It’s usually a case of gaining possession or stemming the flow of an onrushing attack from the opposition, but it can be used in a variety of ways.
Of all team sports played in the modern day Ice Hockey is one of the most dangerous. Of course there are challengers in the various fields of combat sports and motor sports, but for a sport that has more pressing concerns than damaging opponents or going 150mph over loose terrain it is a strong contender for most dangerous. At the very least it is probably the most violent sport.
Sydney Crosby is one of the games brightest stars. He’s was responsible for the Canadian national side taking the Olympic gold from the Americans in the dying minutes of extra-time, noted on the seasons “all star” team-sheet and he came out on top of the 09-10 season with most goals scored. The spotlight has been on him for a few years due to his successes but it’s not triumph that is holding the attention of the press in recent weeks.
His troubles serve well to highlight the dangers in the game as he looks set to put his stick down for the rest of the season. He’s been suffering repeat cases of concussion because of a number of high-impact tackles..
Crosby suffered two hits to the head in the first week of 2011. The first was in the Winter Classic, an annual outdoor game played in front of 68,000 in Pittsburgh on New Year’s Day. As you can see below, Crosby received a blindside shoulder to the head from the Washington Capitals David Steckel. Standing six inches taller than Crosby, Steckel claimed it was unintentional and he did not receive a penalty for the hit.
Four days later, Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman rammed Crosby into the boards head first from behind (see below) and Crosby left the game. It wasn’t a called penalty either. As you can see, it was a much milder hit but the evidence is that after one concussion, you become much more susceptible to another one in the aftermath.
Taken from joe.ie where you can see videos of both incidents.
This has raised concerns over the play-style of the game and put the rules under heavy scrutiny. Some fans are for the change to see their favourite players spared season-long absenses and brain damage, whereas the sticklers believe the show should go on as normal, despite the medical implications.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease of the brain, appears to be now inextricably linked to repeated head trauma. A former Detroit Red Wing and Chicago Blackhawk player Bob Probert, better known for his violence than his skills, died of a heart attack aged 45 last year and a study of his brain revealed last month that he suffered from CTE, a possible explanation for his off-field behavioural problems since retirement in 2002.
In a separate report: Bodychecking slammed: Preventing concussions neurosurgeon Dr Muchael Cusimano is noted as suggesting that NHL players have among the highest concussion rates in professional sports. The fact that hundreds of thousands of people play the game at an amateur level means that the ruling in the professional arena will have a knock on affect – even to our players in England.
Access Legal – a legal service in the UK deals with brain injury and sports injury claims. Claims can be made across any sporting issue, and with regulations blurred these claims can pepper the international sport. It’s not just those with high-flying celebrity status that may need representing when accidents happen on the rink. It’s down to the brains at the top to make the call.
