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Time is now to eliminate head shots in hockey

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03/10/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A concussion is serious, and the NHL may finally be waking up to the fact. Anyone who has had a serious knock will tell you that the effects can be scary. While the league has spent years dancing around the subject of hits to the head, it is an issue that has become more pressing than ever.

It makes you wonder if the suits in the front office have been suffering from the same confusion and blurry vision as the players who seem to be dropping like flies around the league.

Hockey's alleged top brains will be concluding a three-day summit Wednesday, where the topic of shoulder hits to the head is being discussed. As it stands, the shoulder blow is still a legal part of the game, meaning that no penalty can be assessed for the goon-like offense.

"The managers in their heart of hearts feel something's wrong here, but it's not against the rules. That's what we're trying to attack," said Colin Campbell, the NHL's principle disciplinarian.

Last Sunday, Boston Bruins all-star Marc Savard became the latest victim of an unsuspecting shoulder to the head by the Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke. Seeing him motionless on the ice was a troubling scene, but a scene that has been repeating itself like a bad Hollywood script.

Savard will likely be forced by team doctors to miss multiple weeks of action, as the medical community has made it clear they won't treat these injuries like a joke.

Young Florida Panthers sniper David Booth missed three-quarters of this season with medically diagnosed post-concussion syndrome, and was only allowed to play after rigorous baseline testing.

Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron can attest first-hand to the after- effects of a brain injury. A grade-three concussion almost stripped the young star of his career in October of 2007 as he ended up missing the better part of the season.

"I couldn't do anything. The light was bothering me, the noise was bothering me. Everything was," Bergeron said in reference to the concussion. "It was giving me headaches, making me dizzy."

"I was pretty much trying to go through the day, trying to sleep and rest and feel better."

Luckily Bergeron was able to get back on track after a long and difficult recovery. He was even fortunate enough to win Olympic gold with Team Canada in Vancouver.

But, not all players are so lucky.

It's no surprise that around the sport these hits are called "career-enders", just ask Eric Lindros.

Termed the "Next One" in the 90's, Lindros was supposed to be the second coming of Wayne Gretzky. A true superstar during his short NHL career, he would miss significant time due to concussions and eventually retire thanks to the elbow of bruiser Scott Stevens.

What did the powers that be tell us then? They said it was part of the game. They said it takes toughness to be a hockey player, like Eddie Shore and Bobby Clarke.

Sorry gentlemen, but the game is light years ahead of where it was back then. It's faster, more violent, and the players are stronger.

Players must be forced to respect the head and the only way to do that is to asses a penalty for the infraction. There should be, at minimum, a five-minute major and an ejection from the game for the dangerous blow. The same punishment has been effective in reducing hits from behind, and hits to the head are no less an epidemic.

It is embarrassing that the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), Canada's premier junior hockey organization, has already figured out a way to deter these dirty hits while the NHL has stood pat.

In doling out a season-long suspension in January to high-profile player Patrice Cormier for his blindside hit of a fellow player, the CHL sent a strong message that these types of plays would not be tolerated. Captain of the Canadian world junior team and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standout, Cormier was not allowed to escape the rule of law due to his star status. The same hard-nosed approach must be taken in the NHL.

"Clearly the blind side of an unsuspecting player is what we're talking about," said Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk. He also added that he thought stiffer suspensions could be used more frequently in extreme cases.

Unfortunately, any rule change proposed at the summit needs approval by the competition committee, which includes players, and the league's board of governors. Hopefully, the recommendations that are made don't fall on deaf ears.

It would be regrettable if another career was put in jeopardy before action was taken.

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