The sidelining of NHL poster boy Sydney Crosby by two hits to the head reignited calls for stiffer penalties and decisive league action regarding the brain injuries so many hockey players are sustaining.
Along with eliminating hits to the head, there’s the aspect of protecting players with concussions, some caused by legal checks. A year ago, the Salmon Arm SilverBacks had their own concussion-related drama.
A January 2010 YouTube video shows a hockey player being slammed into the boards – his neck snaps back, his helmet flies off and his head crashes into the glass. He slides to the ice and lies there, motionless. The hit sparked outrage from a Vernon physician, according to a September 2010 column in the Observer’s sister paper, the Vernon Morning Star. It occurred during an away-game versus the Vernon Vipers. The Vipers’ physician, Dr. Gavin Smart, seeing the SilverBacks player appeared dazed and vacant, and hearing he had suffered a concussion in 2007, told him not to return to the ice. However, to the doctor’s consternation, the injured player played in both the second and third periods.
Concussions are common in the BCHL. Current BCHL players with concussions who have made the news recently include 20-year-old Kyle St. Denis, who just returned to the ice with the Victoria Grizzlies. He was sidelined after he sustained the fourth concussion of his career in a 2009 WHL game.
John Grisdale, commissioner of the BC Hockey League, interviewed late last year, said the policy is that a doctor always needs to have a say over the ability of a player to get back on the ice. However, when another team’s doctor is involved, he said, “he will be erring on the side of caution. There’s always the consideration of looking for the competitive edge. But what came out of it, we need to respect our doctors’ position.”
The issue of concussions in sport is much bigger than the BCHL or NHL, he said.
“It’s making judgments in an inaccurate science. I’m not talking specifically about this case, but when a player is responsive enough, no rule can stop a player from going back. It’s a player’s right to do it… The difficulty we’re facing is really understanding the whole issue around concussion.”
Although Hockey Canada’s concussion education and awareness program states clearly if there is a loss of consciousness, a player should be removed from the game, Grisdale remarked: “Hockey Canada says a lot of things it doesn’t follow up on. I’m not disrespecting it, as they can’t do anything about it.”
He says that at some point, a player will say he’s okay to come in.
“I’m 300 per cent on the side of safety, but if a player says he can play, how can you tell them (not to)?” adding he isn’t pointing blame at the players or the coaches.
SilverBacks owner Randy Williams spoke to the Observer about concussions late last year. He preferred not to talk about an incident from the past, but said his hockey organization never takes concussions lightly.
“If there is a concussed player on the ice, the trainer looks at him immediately and assesses – it goes from there, depending on the building we’re playing in.”
At home, he says, a trainer will assess an injury, and a first aid attendant and a doctor are present who can be summoned.
“At no point do we allow players to go on if there’s any question from our staff, because it’s really not worth the risk.”
Williams said the athlete is always going to want to play, but “my organization doesn’t sacrifice players for games and wins, it’s all about a development program.”
