The Hockey Stop

The Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center held a summit in Rochester, Minnesota this week titled "Ice Hockey Summit: Action on Concussion." The event was bound to garner media attention given the recent crackdown by both the NFL and NHL on hits to the head after a slew of incredibly violent incidents.

The general conclusion? Helmets aren't the answer. The league must ban all hits to the head. Period.

So the bottom line in hockey and football seems to be that if they are really serious about eliminating serious brain injuries then everyone from the parents to the players to the referees to the executives to the fans must relearn what is considered a proper part of the body to make physical contact with. And just as a player would never think of whacking an opponent in the groin area, with new tough rules in place never again will we have to see a player carted off the ice or the football field on a stretcher because of a hit to the head.

Here is an excellent video report on head shots in hockey from a local Vancouver news station.