Personal Injury Law

National Hockey League General Managers Meet to Review Concussion Policies

By Bruce Stern

General Managers from the National Hockey League gathered earlier this month to discuss what procedures and rule changes were needed in order to protect players from suffering concussions on the ice. A new idea mentioned at the recent meeting was the possible broadening of video reviews to include high-sticking calls and refine what actually constitutes a legal spin move during shootouts.

These new rule changes come just weeks after a new protocol was issued in determining if a player has sustained a concussion during play. During the meetings, the managers agreed to stricter enforcement of boarding and charging rules in an effort to cut down on injuries. They also called for stiffer fines and suspensions for egregiously dangerous checks.

However, the GMs chose not to recommend broadening Rule 48, which outlaws blindside hits to the head and checks that deliberately target the head, instead referring the question to a committee headed by Brendan Shanahan, a league vice president.
 

Full post as published by Traumatic Brain Injury Law Blog on March 25, 2011 (boomark / email).