The Concussion Blog (yep, devoted to all things concussive) says the NHL is actually seeing a reduction in head injuries this season. They compared the first 2 months of this season to the same 2 months in 2010. Accordiing to their stats, we actually saw a 23 per cent reduction in concussions over last season.
Well, it sure doesn't feel that way. Maybe they stand out this season because so many quality to superstar level players have been sidelined with concussions. This is the Sidney Crosby effect. Unlike fringe players trying to stay in the league, stars like Crosby can do whatever they want. If they want or need time off because they don't feel right, they're going to take time off. Crosby showed other players that you don't have to "shake it off" and get right back out there. In fact, it's a bad idea.But it's not just that they're being more sensible and cautious than at any time in NHL history. If these guys felt well, you couldn't keep any of them out of the lineup. They're genuinely injured. With that, we present the 2011-12 NHL All-Concussion Team - players who are out or have recently missed considerable time with concussions. Wait. Sorry, ”Upper Body Injuries”.
Goalies:
Ryan Miller BUF
Josh Harding MIN
James Reimer TOR
Defensemen:
Chris Pronger PHI, Kris Letang PIT
Marc Staal NYR, Zbynek Michalek PIT
Mike Green WAS, Chris Campoli MTL
Forwards:
Sidney Crosby PIT, Claude Giroux PHI, Daniel Alfredsson OTT
Marc Savard BOS, Brayden Schenn (ed.) PHI, Jeff Skinner CAR
Mike Richards LA (ed.), Guillaume Latendresse MIN, Peter Mueller COL
Andy McDonald STL Nino Niederreiter NYI, Nathan Gerbe BUF
This bell-rung squad, if healthy, would easily compete for a Stanley Cup.
There are others around the league who have "mild" concussions, which is laughable. Apparently, the team believes the player’s brain is only “mildy” bouncing around within his skull. Being mildly concussed is like being mildly pregnant or mildly dead.
