One of the suspected problems with NHL concussions is the length of time spent on the ice – as in, they spend about 35 seconds before being switched off. In the 70s, they were spending a full minute and so got more tired and less likely to hit as hard.

I know. Sorry, didn’t mean to be rude 🙂

Holy crap, they let HS players play hockey that rough? That’s insane.

the hit that paralyzed the boy was a clean check, to the best of my knowledge… a hard check but clean all the same.

(As goalie, I get to wear the best gear. And my mask is decades beyond Jason’s.)

Could I get horribly killed playing hockey? Yeah. And I could suffer a bus error walking across the street. I will not let the fear of dying prevent me from living well.

Greg, good luck and good health to your wife, along with plenty of ice, Ibuprofen, and careful rehab. Having recovered from a shoulder injury from my defenseman crashing my net, she has my sympathy. Even without an MRI, go see a sports therapist.

Ar Pteryxx’s second link, I was a bit dismayed by the safety concerns with respect to “especially girl’s hockey”.

Er, yeah. The culture says that girls are more fragile and need protection, with an undercurrent of how awful it is when girls get hurt but when a boy gets hurt it’s his choice, or a heroic tragedy, or some such BS. Personally I suspect lighter and smaller players in general don’t hit as hard as bigger ones, which is less of a problem when they’re segregated than mixed… although there has also historically been a problem with girls having to wear ill-fitting safety gear designed for boys.

Yes, I played goalie in a college club team, knives on feet, scary mask and all. I still treasure that time and regret nothing. That’s all I’m going to say about it here.