The commissioner of the National Hockey League hit back Wednesday at the notion of banning any kind of head contact in hockey, telling a parliamentary panel that such a rule would be impossible to enforce and lead to the end of hitting in hockey.
The league has faced calls to penalize any head contact in the hope of eliminating potentially debilitating concussions. Those calling for a strict rule include Ken Dryden, the former Montreal Canadiens goalie and cabinet minister in Paul MartinB次元官网网址檚 Liberal government.
In sometimes combative testimony, commissioner Gary Bettman said such a rule at the NHL level would mean larger players would inevitably land blows on smaller playersB次元官网网址� heads in the normal course of play, leading to penalties. Ultimately B次元官网网址渢here would be no more body checkingB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� something that players and fans feel is an B次元官网网址渆xciting, appealing, entertainingB次元官网网址� and important part of the game.
Bettman decried what he called B次元官网网址渂lanket statements about changing a ruleB次元官网网址� on head contact that might not address B次元官网网址渨here the injuries are being caused.B次元官网网址�
READ MORE:
He said the game he oversees is safer for players and different in terms of physical contact from football, where there are repeated blows to playersB次元官网网址� heads, and he questioned any direct link between multiple hockey concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is a brain condition associated with repeated blows to the head. CTE can be profoundly debilitating, with symptoms that include memory problems, personality changes, aggression and depression.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 believe there has been, based on everything IB次元官网网址檝e been told B次元官网网址� and if anybody has information to the contrary, weB次元官网网址檇 be happy to hear it B次元官网网址� other than some anecdotal evidence, there has not been that conclusive link,B次元官网网址� Bettman said.
When asked if there were any rules or changes he would make to the game to reduce head contact, Bettman told MPs he likes the way professional hockey is being played, adding: B次元官网网址淩ight now, I donB次元官网网址檛 believe thereB次元官网网址檚 much we can do.B次元官网网址�
The special committee of MPs has spent months holding hearings on the issue of concussions, including options for treatment, prevention and what, if anything, the federal government should be doing about sports-related head injuries. Experts and athletes have appeared before the cross-party panel, as well as high-profile figures such as CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie and former NHL player Eric Lindros, whose hall-of-fame career was cut short by multiple concussions.
Bettman and his deputy Bill Daly were the final witnesses of the committeeB次元官网网址檚 study before it tables a report in the coming weeks. Although attention has focused on amateur athletics, the committee could recommend concussion protocols for professional sports.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 hoping thatB次元官网网址檚 not the case,B次元官网网址� Bettman said after the meeting about that possibility.
The National Hockey League has faced criticism for its handling of head injuries B次元官网网址� despite a long list of rules, studies and league-player committees focused on safety that Bettman listed B次元官网网址� and CTE after it was found in former players Steve Montador and Derek Boogaard of the NHL. Montador had lost almost a year of his career recovering from a severe concussion and died suddenly at 35; Boogaard died of a drug overdose at 28 while recovering from a concussion.
A recent post in The PlayerB次元官网网址檚 Tribune by retired player Nick Boynton said that fighting during his career has affected his mental health.
Bettman said there were B次元官网网址渘o shortage of opinions on this subject,B次元官网网址� adding that fighting deterred players from targeting more skilled stars on the ice. Fighting levels have gone down over decades, he said, as have the number of fight-related concussions.
B次元官网网址淵ou should have none, quite frankly. It is too dangerous,B次元官网网址� said Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson, who worked as an emergency-room physician for 20 years.
B次元官网网址淏ut you and I donB次元官网网址檛 know the consequences of that,B次元官网网址� Bettman responded.
The league is also facing a lawsuit, filed Tuesday, from the widow of the late right-winger Todd Ewen, whose brain was found to have CTE after he died at 49 in 2015.
B次元官网网址淭here are some accusations that have been made about the diagnosis and weB次元官网网址檒l be dealing with that in due course because I think there are some allegations that have been made that have absolutely no support,B次元官网网址� Bettman told reporters after the hearing.
B次元官网网址淲e believe the lawsuit is without merit as was the main concussion class action and weB次元官网网址檒l deal with it appropriately.B次元官网网址�
The NHL reached a settlement last year with hundreds of retired players who claimed harms from head injuries while playing. The league did not admit fault or wrongdoing.
Jordan Press, The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on
