Hockey has always been a huge part of my family. I remember driving hours to see my brother’s games, cheering on our favourite players from the sideline and feeling the adrenaline at the end of every great win. It’s hard not to love. But in recent years, with further looks into the long term effects of concussions, it’s questionable whether the sport is safe for players.
I doubt anyone would disagree if I said there is no better poster boy than Sidney Crosby, when it comes to concussions and hitting in hockey. The Pittsburgh Penguin’s Captain has been dealing with an ongoing concussion for far too long and with each come back to the rink, begins a new week back into recovery. People often criticize professional athletes for the length of time taken to recover, but this is a necessary precaution.
For many players of the game, concussions are just another part of the sport. I’ve had friends brag about them, proud of their war wounds. But concussions are far from a laughing matter. Many players are effected dramatically with head injuries that take players out of the game for weeks or in some cases, the rest of their lives. I recognize that some fans believe it is a part of the game but I question whether the lives of these players are worth it. Especially young players.
In past years, Hockey Canada and Hockey USA have both discussed the idea on banning fighting in Junior and Minor hockey, but it is only still a discussion. The Globe and Mail’s 2013 survey states that a huge number of Canadians want fighting in hockey banned and I couldn’t agree more. I don’t think fighting has a place in the sport of hockey. If you want to watch fighting, you should watch boxing. If sports like soccer, basketball and volleyball have rules against fighting, why can’t hockey?
In 2014, 19 year old Mac Maloney a hockey player for the Douro Dukes, was home for reading week when he participated in a game against his home team’s rivals, the Otonabee Wolves. During the second period, the Juvenile player, a McMaster University student on a hockey scholarship, took a clean hit against the boards by a schoolmate playing for the opposite team. Maloney crimpled against the boards head first. Unable to walk straight or open his eyes in the light, he was then taken straight off the ice and was rushed to hospital. Unfortunately the concussion would have lifelong effects, disallowing him to continue to play hockey and causing him to later lose his hockey scholarship.
In a recent video composed by the NHL, former hockey players and neurologists repeat a quote several times throughout the clip. “When in doubt, sit it out.” I feel that in a lot of cases, players do not treat concussions with enough care. They do not see the seriousness of the effects and often make the mistake of staying on the ice and off the bench. Players should be properly trained on concussions and their short and long term effects. Concussions need to be prevented as well by informing players on how to properly follow through with a clean hit and how to properly take it. But I do not think in any circumstances should the lives of players be worth that 5 minutes of entertainment. Yes players get paid a lot of money and they sign up knowing fully well what it entitles, but is a few years playing hockey worth becoming brain dead. You only have one brain and you’re nothing without it.