Back To The Crosby Watch

This was supposed to be over. But it's anything but over.

Just a week after NHL commissioner Gary Bettman blithely dismissed findings linking a serious brain condition (CTE) to hockey, the league got a stark reminder today that brain injuries (formerly known by the more benign term concussions) are still the No. 1 issue facing the sport with a setback to Sidney Crosby's comeback.

Crosby didn't want to make that big of a deal about it. But he couldn't practice, or didn't feel well enough to practice, and admitted he was a bit confused by it all. No big hit, nothing like the David Steckel collision, yet symptoms are back and everyone who loves the sport is worried.

Primarily, it brings into question something many people were surprised at, and that was the contention of Crosby's doctors during an August press conference that once he returned at "100 per cent," he would not be a compromised athlete. In other words, he would be no more susceptible to further brain injuries, so it was stated, than a player who had never had a single concussion.

For several weeks and eight games, we had reason to believe that was true. Crosby seemed just as good as ever, and in fact, he seemed a little chippier and more aggressive, as Nick Foligno and David Krejci would agree.

But now it's all on hold again, and rather than Crosby being no more likely to get another concussion than anyone else, he seems to have re-injured himself without a major collision. That was the same thing that happened to Matthew Lombardi of the Maple Leafs last season while with Nashville, and Lombardi has returned, so there's no reason to believe yet that Crosby can't come back again, and soon.

But is this to be a recurring theme? More important, you have to wonder if Crosby will have to significantly alter his style of play to be able to play all the time, whether his ability to play in the nastiest traffic the game can offer will have to be something of the past in order to keep himself available to the Pittsburgh Penguins on a regular basis.

Questions and more questions. We're back to that for the world's best player.

 

 

Comments

[Ron]

I read your article last week on how Bettman made snide and arrogant remarks regarding the findings on CTE and although it didn't surprise me because that is who he is it still amazes me the total disrespect he has for the process. The best player in hockey felled by an illegal hit by that stiff Steckel whose claim to fame is he can win faceoffs. It defies reason that a league whose overall health is in question...check out the empty seats in the U.S. rinks...can ignore results that appear to carry some scientific weight. Not only that, it is totally disrespectful to the families of the enforcers who died this summer by making light of the findings by saying the sample is not big enough....what a crock!! I wonder when one of the families will get legal advice and launch a lawsuit over the continued workplace safety issue that exists in the NHL.

[James Armstrong]

very sad. the NHL has to do more to prevent this from happening. whatever they are doing now simply isn't enough. Problem is, the league is more concerned about making money than preserving the long-term well being of players. big hits, fights are what certain fans want to see. you still see plenty of hits to the head this season as we saw with Sid's teammate Letang which was a brutal hit.

[Patricia Landry]

Did heads in Pittsburgh roll after last years winter classic. It still boggles my mind how Crosby was left on the ice by himself, no medical personnel anywhere in site, and how he had to make the long walk to the dressing room by himself. If the Penguins weren't negligent after that winter classic hit, he might not have suffered the second concussion not long after.

[Jim Cooligan]

It is very confusing and hard to understand the inconsistancy in the penalties. It appears not even the refs understand them the same..
The fellow that blind sided Crosby was never penalikzed for a hit on a player that did not have the puck and was looking in a different direction is beyond my understanding.
Now it is fun to watch the young players skate so well and stick handle that one gets delite in just watching them perform some amazing dexterity.
When I was a youth I was considered a very good bike ridert. Now when we see the young people perform, I would not be able to compete with to-days riders sisters!
Hockey as played by some younger players is just play joy watching them perform. Having known and watch Bertuzzi since he was in Peewee then while taking a shot and scoring from between his legs was a shock. Keep it up guys, your raw talent is worth watching alone. If the culprits of bad hits would only skate by the opposition bench and appoligize it would remove a lot of rancor between the players. Thanks for your entertainment.

[Ken Chevis]

Contributing to serious head injuries is the design of shoulder and elbow padding. At one time, these types of pads were comprised of a relatively small plastic or leather cap surrounded by heavy soft material. A shoulder or elbow to the head did not result in concussion. Today, major areas of the shoulders, arms and elbows are covered in a brittle, unyielding plastic. Look at the result. If Bettman had a brain in his head (that was not concussed), he would demand new designs from the gear manufacturers.