Crosby's Concussion

A updated Three Conference Proposal

2011-11-08T18:28:00.001-05:00

Six divisons

If we must keep six divisions, the easiest change is to move Winnipeg and Toronto to the West and move Dallas and Nashville to the South, which looks like this:

Atlantic: PHI, PIT, NYR, NJD, WAS
Northeast: NYI, BOS, MTL, OTT, BUF
South: DAL, NSH, TB, FLA, CAR

Central: TOR, DET, CHI, CLB, STL
Northwest: CALGARY, EDM, COL, WPG, MIN
Pacific: VAN, ANH, LA, SJ, PHX

If the Islanders then move to Kansas, bring Columbus East and you get

Atlantic: PHI, PIT, CLB, NJD, WAS
Northeast: NYR, BOS, MTL, OTT, BUF
South: DAL, NSH, TB, FLA, CAR

Central: TOR, DET, CHI, KANSAS Islanders, STL
Northwest: CALGARY, EDM, COL, WPG, MIN
Pacific: VAN, ANH, LA, SJ, PHX

I think that a three conference system would work well.

Here are my three conferences (feel free to suggest others): Northeast, West, and South. Each has 10 teams:

South

Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay, Nashville, Dallas, St. Louis, Columbus, Colorado, Minnesota, and Phoenix

Northeast

Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston, NY, NYI, NJ, Washington, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia

Northwest

Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Winnepeg

Playoff system:

Two possibilities: each conference winner ranked 1 2 3, followed by the remaining teams from any conference to 16.

Top 2, 3, or 4 teams in each conference make the playoffs. As long as there are matchups within a conference then teams match up within conference.

Examples:

If in round one, the three conferences provide 4 4 and 8 teams, round 2 they provide 2 2 and 4 teams in round three they provide 1 1 and 2 teams, and then the conference final is the winner of the deepest conference vs. the winner of the other playoff series.

In gets more complex if the three conferences provide 5 5 and 6 teams. The fifth ranked teams of two conferences play each other. In round 2, the conferences provide 3 2 and 3 teams. Again, the third ranked teams from two conferences play each other. In round 3, the conferences provide 2 1 and 1 teams, so then we're back at the situation above?).

Note that you could argue that giving the last placed team an opponent who is another last placed team benefits those last place teams. So you might, instead, pit the middle teams against each other. In the case of two conferences providing 5 teams each, each conference's third ranked team would play off against each other. In the case of two conferences with 3 teams each, the second ranked teams would play off against each other.

Change the number of games played in a season

I would advocate 76 games: each team plays 4 games against the 9 other teams in conference, and 2 games against each of the other 20 teams -- but if each team plays each conference team 4x plus every team in one other conference 2x plus every team in the third conference 1x you end up with 66 games a year, which would be better for our frequently injured players.

Thank you NHL, for Sending Colin Campbell Away

2011-08-26T20:07:00.001-04:00

Hooray for Shanahan!

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/41593-New-sheriff-in-town-Shanahan-prepares-to-assume-new-role-as-NHL-disciplinarian.html

When Gregory Campbell Gets His Stanley Cup

2011-05-23T21:38:00.000-04:00

Could Colin Campbell please retire?

He is corrupt. The NHL needs a new head of discipline so that it can finally establish a real rule to protect players against concussions.

Press Begins to Argue for an End to Head Shots

2011-03-20T11:16:00.000-04:00

Although Wyshynski is right that visors should be mandatory and seamless glass should be eliminated, he's on the wrong side of hockey history when he writes: "Not banning hits to the head across the board is, ultimately, a good thing, because it would severely limit the physicality with which the game is played. The NHL did the right thing by drawing a line in the sand and saying the cheap-shot plays that target a player's head gotta go."

Wyshynski's more recent posts have been counterproductive.

The truth is that it is wrong to ask the referee to decide about the player's intention in any particular hit. It's even worse to ask the corrupt Colin Campbell to make that judgment.

He does get some interesting posts (and a lot of profanity) when he asks readers if violence made them consider quitting the NHL.

Recognizing the need for change

Back in the real world, The Montreal Gazette says that hockey's management "isn't using its head": "No suspension for Boston's Zdeno Chara, nada. Once again the National Hockey League had a chance to send a strong message to protect its players, and once again it blew the call. It's a miracle this decision, or non-decision, didn't launch a modern day version of the 1955 Rocket Richard riot in Montreal. Then again, in a sense, it did."

This after hockey's general managers decided not to ban head shots -- but did call for longer suspensions.

One former general manager and current blogger for The Hockey News called for the league to recognize a distinction between the violent and the dangerous, saying that the league needs to eliminate danger, not violence. Dangerous hits -- those that can end careers -- include hits to the knee, ankle, and head. Player can come back from bruises and even broken arms but the league has recognized that head and knee injuries can end a career (the league has failed to crack down on ankle injuries).

Journalists outside of the profession are quicker to call for change. Bob Herbert of The New York Times said that the NFL needs to protect players' heads.

It seems possible that the NFL will act before the NHL does and if that happens -- the NHL general managers will take the blame for failing to crack down on danger and for failing to fire Colin Campbell.

Looking back at Matt Cooke

2011-03-20T11:00:00.002-04:00

So, is Matt Cooke chicken excrement, as Roenick said? Was the suspension long enough?

Clearly, the short suspension of Matt Cooke sent the message that head shots are okay.

Colin Campbell is Killing the NHL

2011-03-13T13:18:00.003-04:00

The NHL needs to enforce the rules consistently, and Colin Campbell will ensure that never happens. The hit by Chara on Pacioretty was deliberate and nasty. But the Boston Bruins had purchased several insurance policies.

First, they hired Campbell's son Gregory. After the hit on Savard, the Bruins knew that Campbell was for sale. Savard angered Campbell when Campbell was the incompetent manager of the NY Rangers. Campbell let many great players go, most of them Russian (such as Zubov), but none left with more rancor than Savard. Savard wanted more money and Campbell would not give it to him. Years later, Savard had proved Campbell wrong by becoming one of the game's best players, when Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke effectively ended his career with a deliberate concussion-causing hit.

Zubov was let go because he angered Campbell by insisting on not playing with a broken wrist.

Colin hated Savard because his son Gregory had hit Savard in the face with his hockey stick. In a note to referees, Campbell called Savard "a little fake artist," in effect calling open season on hits to Savard.

Cooke received no punishment for ending Savard's career in March of 2010. During the summer of 2010, the Bruins acquired superstar Nathan Horton and also Gregory Campbell from Florida in exchange for several valuable draft picks and underrated defenseman Dennis Wideman.

In Campbell, the Bruins acquired not only a fourth line player earning less than a million dollars per year. They also acquired a license to kill from Colin Campbell.

The Bruins increased their investment in Colin Campbell by helping him get a contract extension that's work $35 million over five years.

The NHL has to change.

Campbell's policies are a joke to some, but they cause real harm to the league, the players, and the sport.

Even journalists in Toronto, hockey's corporate HQ, are losing their patience. "The league did once kick out two players – both with the Bruins – for life. But that was for gambling back in the 1940s. In 2011, it is the league itself that is gambling. But not on games – on lives."

The game is getting ridiculous and Campbell's part of the problem. "If it wasn't embarrassing, it was at least another extremely awkward moment for the NHL, vis-à-vis its Director of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell, and the involvement of his son, Gregory, in Thursday night's WWE-style game between Boston and Dallas. It had to be awkward for Commissioner Gary Bettman to see his chief of discipline forced to recuse himself from meting out punishments for a game that had several fights -- three within the first four seconds -- and one cheap, blindside hit that earned its perpetrator a four-game suspension."

Mario Lemieux has threatened to leave. "If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to rethink whether I want to be a part of it."

Lemieux needs to stay, Campbell needs to leave, and someone in hockey journalism or among hockey's owners needs to call out Colin Campbell.

In Football and Hockey, Players Fear Concussions

2011-03-13T13:17:00.003-04:00

Terribly sad stories recently. Two football suicides have been connected to brain injuries, that of 21 year old Penn State player Owen Thomas and of retired Chicago Bears pro player Dave Duerson.

"Duerson sent text messages to his family before he shot himself specifically requesting that his brain be examined for damage, two people aware of the messages said. Another person close to Duerson, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that Duerson had commented to him in recent months that he might have C.T.E., an incurable disease linked to depression, impaired impulse control and cognitive decline."

"Owen Thomas was in the early stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a disease that has been linked to depression and impulse control, primarily among NFL players."

The NFL has donated $1 million -- which is pocket change for the league -- to Boston University School of Medicine's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy.

The NHL should match the donation, because it has the same problems. NHL professional fighter Bob Probert died at 45. "Hockey's enduring tolerance for and celebration of fighting will almost certainly be tested anew now that Probert, more pugilist than playmaker, has become the first contemporary hockey player to show C.T.E. after death."

Probert knew that something was wrong. "Probert, however, knew the 16 seasons of pounding he absorbed as one of the league's foremost pugilists as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings had taken a toll. Before he died of a massive heart attack, Probert asked family members to forward his brain to researchers known best for studying concussions in football players."

The NHL needs to act. Clearly, appeals based on the health of the players and of the sport won't work, so journalists who care are pointing out that the NHL should act in order to preserve its own financial health.

The first thing that the NHL should do is to enforce the rules clearly and consistently, and to fire the man who's currently in charge of enforcement, the corrupt Colin Campbell.

Head Shots are Killing the NHL

2011-03-13T13:17:00.000-04:00

Too many great players have concussions. Unlike broken bones and teeth, these head injuries may never heal. Every new injury carries with it the risk of permanent paralysis or even death.

The NHL All Star game was harmed by the absence of Sidney Crosby. "Crosby is far from the only player to miss time or even the all-star game because of a concussion - according to team releases and media reports, more than 30 players have suffered concussions this season, including Edmonton all-star Ales Hemsky - but the Penguins star's injury has sparked greater debate about how the NHL regulates hits to the head and handles a growing need for concussion awareness."

Players are critical of NHL policy. Florida Panthers star David Booth said, "over time, I think they'll get more strict because there are still a lot of injuries now, the best player in the game is affected."

So many players have had concussions this year that you could create an All Star team with them:

Centre: Sidney Crosby, Brad Richards, Marc Savard, David Krejci, John Tavares, Bryan Little

Left wing: Johan Franzen, Andy McDonald, David Perron, Max Pacioretty, Rene Bourque

Right wing: Marian Gaborik, Ales Hemsky, Jason Pominville, Mike Knuble

Defence: Drew Doughty, Mike Green, Brad Stuart, Toni Lydman, Dan Hamhuis, Andrej Meszaros, Nick Schultz

Goal: Jonas Hiller, Ondrej Pavelec

But the NHL believes instead that violence should be encouraged. "Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be. But what happened Friday night on Long Island wasn't hockey. It was a travesty," Lemieux said. "It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that."

Kudos to those hockey journalists who are tackling this important issue. The solution is simple: "legislate it out."

Detroit Fans Are Okay

2011-02-26T00:57:00.002-05:00

It's okay to boo sometimes.

Detroit's fans are the most supportive I've seen. I've seen them rock the house when their team scored a goal to make it 3-1 againt.

NHL All Star Game Sucks Again

2011-01-30T13:08:00.003-05:00

Don't get me wrong: I love the new format. As a Devils fan, I enjoy Emerick's commentary. But I cannot always hear it.

Why is the NFL able to provide perfect audio in a college stadium, but the NHL cannot provide clean audio or video from a rink that's a major league stadium?

Furthermore, once again, the speed guns failed. This time, unlike two years ago, it's likely that they failed because Ovechkin fell over an important cable. But that begs the question: why in this wireless age was there a cable for him to trip over? I can imagine an unlikely but nightmarish scenario in which a skate slices open a power cable and the open power cable electrifies the ice.

The point is that the all star game is a very important marketing event for the NHL, one that would be a very good time if we were actually able to watch it.

I hope that the NHL invests more in future broadcasts.

I know that it's too much to ask that the game be broadcast on a major network, like the NFL Pro Bowl.

My gf adds: don't forget the visual glitches that occurred at key moments, like when the shooter was firing a shot. They prove that there was a sucky operations room, terribly underfunded.

I wish Versus was a real Network

2011-01-28T21:07:00.001-05:00

Massive, terribly annoying audio issues with the NHL All Star Draft. My gf nearly stopped watching, but she's also crushed that there are no Sabres in Raleigh.

Crosby's Concussion Has Finally Occurred

2011-01-21T12:23:00.001-05:00

Crosby's concussion was inevitable this year in particular because this is the year that he has dominated the league. At almost 2 points per game, Crosby has finally been scoring like Mario and Gretzky.

So it was no surprise that the Penguins' two rivals, the Lightning and the Capitals, attacked him.

What was shocking: no penalties for the hits.

The NHL is encouraing the type of violence that enforces mediocrity: get too good and you will be hit in ways that the two greats never were.

So now Crosby is out indefinitely with a concussion. Meanwhile, other greats are hurting too. Stamkos and Ovechkin are playing through injuries (we do not know how severe the pain is). Datsuyk is out hurt. Derek Roy, who was having a career year as a leader for the Sabres, is out. Andy McDonald, who has always looked younger than he is, is concussed. Kariya retired.

The enforcement of mediocrity has to stop, and progress will start when Colin Campbell is fired.

Bias against LA?

2011-01-21T12:17:00.001-05:00

Judge for yourself.

Excellent Move in Youth Hockey: Put PIMs in the Standings

2010-12-22T15:18:00.001-05:00

In Minnesota youth hockey, Fair Play Shows Up in the Standings.

The "revolutionary feature is the fair-play point — an extra point in the standings awarded teams, win or lose, for each game in which they take fewer than a designated number of penalty minutes.

The fair-play point is in effect for all youth leagues outside of high school competition: boys and girls, starting from Mite, for players 8 and younger, through Junior Gold, for players up to 18. Minnesota is the only state that has it."

It works:

"Within a year of instituting the fair-play point, the number of penalties dropped sharply — particularly for fouls like hits to the head, high-sticking and roughing and fighting."

NHL Fails To Prevent Concussions

2010-12-15T13:36:00.000-05:00

Concussions are increasing in the NHL. With Colin Campbell's corruption now widely known, the fault has to be partly his, and partly the NHL's for failing to fire him.

Part of the reason that concussion rates have risen is that they are being reported more, but the rate should be declining.

As the CBC notes, "The number of concussions reported by NHL players remains unchanged from last season despite the league's attempt to reduce the injury by creating a rule outlawing blindside hits to the head. Dr. Ruben Echemendia, the NHL's neuropsychologist, said Friday that 33 concussions had been reported as of Dec. 1 — the exact same number as a year ago. However, he was quick to note that it doesn't necessarily mean the rule change has been ineffective."

"The league has been tracking concussions since 1997 and typically sees about 75 reported each season — roughly half of which are the result of blindside hits."

It is absolutely true that individual players are taking consussions more seriously than ever before, as Tavares' story shows.

Still, it's a problem that the rate of concussions has not decreased.

The NFL is ahead of the NHL in researching the problem because about 61 percent of NFL players have had at least one concussion in their career, and some quarterbacks suffer a concussion every year. Evidence suggests that concussions are linked to Alzheimer's, but the link has not been proved. The possibility is as ominous for current NHL players as it is for current NFL players.

The NFL however, will find it harder to prohibit head shots than the NHL, as a recent NY Times op-ed by an ex-NFL player noted.

The Mayo Clinic says that the NHL should ban all hits to the head.

The injury that the NHL won't ever be able to stop completely is this: the skate to the neck. Here's what the stitches look like.

Lack of consistency

Still, the NHL is making its job needlessly tough by failing to suspend players in some obvious cases. Carcillo, for example, was surprised to avoid a suspension for this hit.

Of course, with Colin Campbell using his position to settle grudges rather than establish consistent rules, it's no surprise that the policy is inconsistent and even ridiculous.

Another source of concussions is hits from behind, especially boarding, but with the NHL failing to establish a policy on head shots, it's no surprise that other areas of concerns, such as hits from behind, are virtually ignored. Recently, NHL veteran Michael Nylander, playing in the AHL, had his neck broken due to a hit from behind and his career may be over.

Of course, the NFL is facing criticisms too. It's possible that changes to helmets could help -- personally I think they should be softer, more like protection and less like a weapon. But the NFL is not looking into the possibility at this time. Injuries mean that the NFL should not play more games and should cancel overtime, allowing games to end in a tie.

I hope that the leagues solve their problems. As one commentator said, "Just as football players have to get back to leading with their hands and arms, wrapping up tackles with old-school fundamentals instead of going for the kill shot, hockey players have to learn to stay low, stay in sight and hit appropriately. Concussions can’t be eliminated, but they can be reduced. It will take time, but it can happen."

What that article did not say is that the NHL needs someone who is not corrupt to lead the change.

Head to Head in Yahoo Leagues? Watch Week of March 21

2010-12-09T23:18:00.001-05:00

Here is the forecaster for the week of March 21, the first round of elimination in Yahoo playoff leagues. It shows the number of home and away games for each team, and whether or not they play on Saturday

Anaheim 3 A (Sat)
Atlanta 2 H 1 A
Boston 3 H (Sat) 1 A
Buffalo 2 H (Sat) 1 A
Calgary 3 A (Sat)
Carolina 2 H (Sat) 1 A -- TB B2B
Chicago 2 H (Sat)
Colorado 2 H 1 A (Sat)
Columbus 1 H 2 A
Dallas 1 H 1 A (Sat)
Detroit 3 H (Sat)
Edmonton 1 H (Sat) 2 A
Florida 4 A
Los Angeles 3 H
Minnesota 2 H (Sat)
Montreal 2 H (Sat) 1 A
Nashville 3 H (Sat)
New Jersey 3 A (Sat)
New York Islanders 2 H (Sat) 1 A
New York Rangers 2 H 1 A (Sat)
Ottawa 1 H 3 A
Philadelphia 3 H 1 A (Sat)
Phoenix 3 H
Pittsburgh 2 H 2 A
San Jose 1 H 2 A (Sat)
St. Louis 1 H 2 A (Sat)
Tampa Bay 1 H 3 A
Toronto 3 A (Sat)
Vancouver 3 A
Washington 2 H 1 A

Which Other Players Are On Campbell's Concussion List?

2010-11-19T01:02:00.000-05:00

It's official: the NHL is corrupt.

Mark Savard was an extremely talented player when Colin Campbell was an incompetent manager of the NY Rangers, getting rid of the talent and keeping the deadwood. He seemed to be particularly nasty to Russians like Sergei Zubov.

The fans are calling Campbell some unpleasant names. The real answer is this: fire colin campbell.

The dispute between Savard and Campbell appears to have been expunged from the internet, but it was bitter and real. Savard was traded. He did well in Calgary and then years later became a franchise player and league leader in Boston. In 1998, Savard was sixth on the team in points, and the Rangers missed the playoffs due in part to Campbell's consistent incompetence.

Who else does Campbell hate? Some suggest Avery. I wonder about Brodeur. In 1998, the Rangers drafted Malhotra, who is now a key part of Vancouver. Does Campbell hate him too?

There are two other players from that team who are still around. Knuble now plays for Washington. MacLean is the coach of the Devils.

11 Reasons Why The NHL Must Take Head Shots Seriously and Take Better Care of Youth

2010-10-18T11:45:00.001-04:00

11 more news stories show that the NHL has to take head shots seriously. With the Pominville incident, in which the league shows that it thinks a head shot is as bad as making a rude sexual gesture, the league showed it does not take the problem seriously.

The league must defend the players or it will eventually be held liable, when the inevitable death of a youngster or concussion of a marquee player occurs. Networks could be held liable too.

1) Muscle Injuries Rattle an Oregon High School: Two dozen Oregon high school football players who went to a hospital last week complaining of sore and swollen muscles — including three who required surgery — probably suffered from an extreme version of a muscle syndrome caused by intense exercise, sports medicine experts said Monday. Youngsters need to be pushed less -- at least, they need to not get muscle damage from anaerobic exercise.

2) College football player commits suicide, had brain disease.

3) Fox TV announcers including Aikman fail to ask tough questions when injured player returns to a football game.

4) A study showed that college players sustain more total hits to the head in practices than in games. "During a full season of practice, each team averaged 2,500 total hits to the head that measured as significant blows (50 to 79 g’s of force) and about 300 hits to the head that were considered in the concussion-causing range (80 to 119 g’s). Each team experienced almost 200 practice collisions that measured above 120 g’s, which experts have likened to crashing a car into a concrete wall at 40 miles an hour."

5) Could we be witnessing the demise of American football as we know it? "The pressure is on football, at all levels, to deal with recent revelations that concussions are more dangerous and pervasive than most people had thought."

6) Despite Law, Town Finds Concussion Dangers Lurk. It's difficult to prevent concussions in teenagers playing football.

7) The House of Representatives is considering action. (But it's Congress -- could take years, unless a young person dies.)

8) Former ref Kerry Fraser blasts NHL on head shot policy, consistency. Kerry Fraser was one of the best.

9)You can sustain a life threatening injury from falling off your bicycle, even while wearing a helmet.

10) Video: Carolina coach miffed after Foligno headshot non-call. There was no suspension.

11) Rutgers Player Is Paralyzed Below the Neck

Along With Miller, I'm Furious About the Pominville Hit Too

2010-10-12T23:51:00.000-04:00

My gf and I were watching the free NHL Center Ice preview, taking in the gamecast from her home town Buffalo, when her favorite player, Jason Pominville, was crushed to the ice from behind. Unconcious before he hit the ice, he sustained a concussion and was carted off on a stretcher. His wife was with him as he was evaluated by team doctors. Their baby's first birthday is less than a month away.

Today, we learned that the NHL regards this assault as the equivalent of a rude gesture. The NHL handed down two 2 game suspensions. One went to James Wisniewski for a rude gesture. The other went to Niklas Hjalmarsson for the hit on Pominville.

Sabres goalie Ryan Miller and coach Lindy Ruff said they expect the league to take care of this by handing down a real suspension, but if not, they can take care of the Blackhawks when they play them next, on Saturday, in Chicago.

The NHL has to understand that if it permits this, it's liable for the consequences.

The NHL has to choose whether it wants to deliver a game of skill or the WWE.

Players Who Underperformed Last Year and Should be Undervalued in the Current Draft

2010-09-20T22:11:00.003-04:00

One easy way to underperform is to be injured. Some players who were injured might get injured again and should be avoided in HTH formats but are valuable in Rotisserie, where you're not really penalized for games lost to injury. Top of the list of players who are not valuable in HTH, in my opinion, is Edmonton's Ales Hemsky. He played at a point per game pace, but for barely more than 20 games, and could do the same this year.

Top of my list of players who were hurt but should bounce back is Paul Martin. The Devils defenceman reminded me a lot of Brian Rafalski, who left the Devils and became a reliable point producer in Detroit. Martin landed in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh rotates its lines so much that [silly centrifugal force analogy], making it difficult to pick any forward there other than Crosby, Malkin, and Stall (I like Kennedy too, especially since he's dual position eligible, but he plays a high risk game and gets injured). Martin is likely to get a large number points -- and he'll get more when Gonchar get injured, as he inevitably will. There is certainly a risk that Martin will get injured too -- there's also a possibility that his point production, which was close to 0.5 per game for the past two years, will increase. If he can make 0.7 points per game, he could be one of the best defensemen in the league.

As far as I know, only ESPN allows you to sort players by points per game.

Another player who shows up in this list is Tyler Ennis, who is dual position eligible (C,W) in Yahoo. He not only averaged nearly a point per game in the regular season -- Ennis also played significant minutes in the post season and got points. Yahoo ranks him highly, but he's a risk because he may not continue to get the ice time. Take him, but not in the first few rounds.

Patrik Elias is a tough call. He played barely more than 50 games last year, but has the potential to be one of the league's elite players (especially if the Devils play him on a line with Kovalchuk, as Fischler would like). As it is, he may play with Arnott and Langenbrunner, who are certainly good linemates. Elias is also dual eligible (C,W) so I think he's worth taking, in spite of the injury risk. In addition to other issues, Elias never fully recovered from the food-borne hepatitis he caught in the Czech Republic.

I would stay away from Mark Savard. Unlike other players in this article, Savard suffered a concussion, not broken bones, and I do not believe he will ever fully heal. Furthermore, since Savard is a key player for Boston, opponents will hit him in the head. He played about 40 games last season and could play the same amount this year.

Next, Max's favorite player, Johan Franzen. Franzen is a phenomenon. He's a joy to watch on the ice. If he plays a full year (for him, that's 74 of 82 games), he'll be well worth an early draft pick. I think he can do it, but don't take him in the first two rounds. However, he played only 27 games last year.

I believe that Milan Hejduk, who played barely over 50 games last year, will play a full season this year on a rejuvinated Colorado Avalanche team. Don't expect PIMs from him, but he'll deliver shots and power play points. He will be encouraged to perform as his contract ends this year.

Players who have moved

Two new players have arrived in Boston, and expectations are extremely high. I have always liked RW Nathan Horton. Last year, he was even dual eligible (C,W). I think he's one of the best all around players in the NHL, and he's very young, with lots of potential. Some Boston bloggers think he might get over 50 goals this year. I agree -- he might. He also might get 25. So if he's available after a few rounds, by all means take him, but don't take him in the first two.

Many are ignoring Defenceman Dennis Seidenberg, possibly because he comes from Carolina and Florida, who are not winning teams. But look at the splits for Seidenberg's performance last year: just over 0.5 points per game with Boston, the team he's with now, after getting close to 0.35 points per game with his previous team. I believe Seidenberg could get 0.6 points per game. He'll take few penalties but will get power play time, shots, and, on his new team, should deliver an excellent +/-.

Jason Arnott has had injury-shortened seasons in each of his last two years, playing a little over 60 games. But reunited with Elias (his line on the cup-winning team was Elias - Arnott - Sykora), he could deliver a signficant quantity of points. Like Elias, he's an injury risk. If he plays with Elias and Langenbrunner, his shots should go down, but he might survive the season. He'll move from the top line in Nashville to the second line in Jersey.

Kovalev is the enigma of hockey (ever since he broke his foot years ago). I have no idea how he will perform in Ottawa.

Ty Conklin is a good goalie. Don't assume that Halak has the starting position nailed down, unless the coach is swayed by the differences in their contracts. Conklin might get traded. Halak's contract is long term and Conklin's ends this year. On the other hand:

Players with short contracts

Players with short contracts will want to prove themselves.

The Flyers have Carter, Zherdev, and Carcillo only through the end of this year. I expect full PIM production from Carcillo and SHPs from Carter.

Chara's contract with the Bruins also ends this year. He will get an A for effort this year, but I cannot predict whether the effort will be in PIMs and hits or in points.

Calgary's defense has Ian White and Mark Giordano up for contract renewal at the end of the year. Both are point producers on defense, but valuable mostly as late picks. Curtis Glencross is the kind of player you may be able to pick up on the waiver wire. His contract also ends this year.

Plenty of players in Chicago will be up for renewal at the end of the year. I would focus on Brent Seabrook, who is good as your third or fourth defenceman, assuming that Chicago can still win games after losing so many key players in the offseason.

Dallas' best player, Brad Richards, has a contract that expires this year. He will perform. I just hope he does not get hurt.

In Detroit, Lidstrom's contract ends this year, but I expect him to play as he always has. If Detroit is smart, they'll sign him to a 2 or 3 year contract. Also up for renewal are the contracts of both goalies, Howard and Osgood. I think Howard will do well and Osgood will melt.

Los Angeles' two best D-men, Doughty and Williams, have contracts ending this year. Also, sniper Ponikarovsky is on a short leash, with a one year contract, but if he and the coach argue, Ponikarovsky could see little ice time on a team that has skill and depth.

In New Jersey, last year's surprise D, Andy Greene, will have a contract up for renewal. Given the nature of the team and the fact that Greene currently makes so little, I think Greene might get traded. Keep an eye on his status. Also up for renewal will be the captain's contract, but I think Langenbrunner will put in the 100% effort he always does.

On the Island, last year's sniper Moulson has one year left on his contract and Konopka, who delivered the highest PIMs per game last year, is on a one year contract.

My favorite Phoenix D (good for third or fourth on your team), Keith Yandle, is in the last year of his contract, but so is most of the team.

Most of Vancouver's defense is in the last year of their contract. Rumors say that Bieksa wants out. I like Salo, but he gets hurt, so I generally avoid this team's D.

In Washington, numerous interesting players are in the last year of their contract: veterans Poti and Knuble as well as young hotshots Laich, Fleischmann, and Semin. It will be an interesting year for the Capitals, Max.

Childhood concussions have doubled in 10 years

2010-08-30T20:43:00.002-04:00

A story in the NY Times reports on a new study:

"The number of child athletes taken to emergency rooms with sports-related concussions doubled over a recent 10-year-period, a new study reports, even though participation in team sports decreased slightly during the period, from 1997 to 2007."

This must change

Should the rules of hockey be different for kids?

2010-08-25T16:19:00.000-04:00

Medical doctor, NHL coach say kids shouldn't learn to hit until later teen years says the headline. But commenters on The Hockey News website say that children should be allowed to hit each other when playing hockey.

I hope that more studies of this issue get funded -- and that the results are made public.

Link Between Head Injuries and Lou Gehrig's Disease

2010-08-17T10:52:00.000-04:00

It seems obvious that head injuries would do all sorts of nasty things to the body, but here's more proof of that.

I hope professional sports will start to take this issue seriously.

How Many Bad Calls?

2010-08-15T21:44:00.002-04:00

Nate Silver sets us straight on how we should expect referees to perform.

World Cup Soccer: Paraguay 0 Spain 1

2010-07-05T02:51:00.001-04:00

The only good thing about this game is that this is the score I predicted in Fantasy. One of the strangest games ever, with numerous poor and inconsistent decisions. The referee should have been the "man of the match" because his erratic performance eclipsed everyone else.

Still, Villa's goal, scored off both posts, was superb.

World Cup Soccer: Germany 4 Argentina 0

2010-07-05T02:49:00.001-04:00

My Argentine friend tells me that this game showed that Maradona is a player, not a coach. I think that this stage of the finals showed that Europe has the money to spend on their national teams, and that the money tells.

Germany is a superb team. Although I'll be rooting for Spain and then Holland, I expect Germany to win this World Cup.

One note of caution -- although Argentina did not score on Germany's goalie, he did not impress.

World Cup Soccer: Holland 2 Brazil 1

2010-07-05T02:47:00.000-04:00

Finally, a game whose result I accept. A brilliant game puts Holland through to the final, where they are likely to face Germany but might face Spain. This is the game that got Dunga fired -- but taking the joy out of Brazilian soccer is a far greater crime than an "early" exit from the World Cup.

World Cup Soccer: Uruguay-Ghana Penalties

2010-07-05T02:42:00.000-04:00

The game was played by the rules, and Uruguay's performance got them through to the next round, but with Suarez on a red card, and after playing the extra 30 minutes, Uruguay appear even more likely to lose their next game.

World Cup Soccer: Germany 4 England 1

2010-07-05T02:40:00.000-04:00

England were clearly missing Rio Ferdinand. Also, as a fan of Liverpool, I can say that Crouch, Heskey, and David James have no place on England's national team.

That said, the Germans played a superb game -- a game that should have been tied 2-2 but for yet another terrible refereeing decision made possible by corrupt FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Love the game, boycott FIFA. Blatter must go.

World Cup Soccer: Argentina 3 Mexico 1

2010-07-05T02:37:00.000-04:00

Mexican press rightly angry about the first and most important goal, which was clearly offsides, but Argentina played an excellent game.

World Cup Soccer: USA 1 Ghana 2

2010-07-05T02:35:00.001-04:00

Heartbreaking -- but Ghana were the better team. The USA has a great goalie in Howard and a top striker in Donovan, but we need to complete the team. Fielhaber was excellent. Would have liked to have seen Buddle -- especially once it became clear that the younger Ghanaian team were running circles around the US.

World Cup Soccer: Uruguay 2 South Korea 1

2010-06-26T14:07:00.000-04:00

South Korea played nervous and timid at times, and the first goal was due to atrocious defending, but Uruguay have a very strong team with two astonishingly talented goal scorers up front. With Suarez' 2 goals in this one, Uruguay is the only team with 2 different players to score 2 or more in different games. (Portugal did score 7 goals in one game but also played two 0-0 ties in the first round.)

The awful condition of the pitch was really the star of the game, but a slippery ball could have led to more goals.

World Cup Soccer Statistics: Goals by League in Group Stage

2010-06-26T13:58:00.001-04:00

So far, the leagues whose players have scored the most goals in the World Cup -- as of the end of the group stage -- are:

Spain: 20
England: 14
Italy: 9
Germany: 8
Netherlands: 6

All multi-goal scorers are from Spain except for Slovakia's Vittek, who plays in Turkey.

The players who play in Spain and have scored more than one goal in a game are Higuain (Argentina / Real Madrid), Forlan (Uruguay / Athletico Madrid), Fabiano (Brazil / Sevilla), Tiago (Portugal / Athletico Madrid), and of course David Villa (Spain / Valencia). The Spanish league clearly has more than two teams in it -- and while one Real player is on this list, none from Barca are on it -- yet.

This shows that Britain and Spain derive their strength from having a real contest and from importing high quality players.

The Italian national team, unusually, featured players who all play in their home country. The only other teams that also feature players in their home league are Germany, England, and Spain. Going only by this goal count, I think things look good for England and Spain.

World Cup Soccer: Spain 2 Chile 1

2010-06-26T13:52:00.000-04:00

A surprising game that could have gone either way. Torres is not up to his tournament winning form and should be rested next match. I hope they do so. David Villa can handle the load.

In the Honduras vs. Defensive Switzerland game, Honduras had a few chances and could have won but go out with pride, eliminating a European team that beat Spain, and proving that they deserved to be at the World Cup (many thought Costa Rica a better team).

World Cup Soccer: Brazil 0 Portugal 0

2010-06-26T13:48:00.001-04:00

I would say that this was a cynical draw -- except for the 8 yellow cards that the two teams accumulated. Those yellow cards could hurt them later.

Cote D'Ivoire went out in style, but should have tried to get more goals. The entire tournament would have been different had Drogba not broken his arm just a few weeks ago.

World Cup Soccer: JPN 3 DEN 1

2010-06-24T16:30:00.000-04:00

I expected this game to be won by Danish-style total football with midfield domination, lots of goals, and every player playing a full 90 minute marathon of movement and it was -- but it was the Japanese playing total football. Paraguay, watch out! Ref was bad, slightly below the very low refereeing standards set at this world cup, but not the worst.

In the other match, Holland cruised to a win against a good Cameroon side who scored only from the penalty box.

World Cup Soccer: NZ 0 PAR 0 (SLV 3 ITA 2)

2010-06-24T13:02:00.000-04:00

I had been hoping for NZ to score 1 goal in a wide open match, but that did not happen.

Meanwhile, the Italians showed that they never deserved the last World Cup (they should have been eliminated by Australia).

The 2006 World Cup was rigged in Italy's favor but results in this World Cup show that the top 3 European leagues are ENG, GER, and, at the top, SPAIN. FRA, ITA, and Holland are in the second tier. I will update these stats when the opening round is complete.

World Cup Soccer: Australia 2 Serbia 1

2010-06-24T10:51:00.000-04:00

Australia have now been cheated out of 2 World Cups, with 2 red cards in 3 games in South Africa and 11 yellow cards in 4 in Germany 2006. They were eliminated by a penalty kick in Germany in 2006 and effectively by the red cards and a penalty kick in 2010.

World Cup Soccer Red Card: USA 1 Algeria 0

2010-06-24T10:47:00.002-04:00

Donovan's game winner in the 91st minute was one of the best in the history of US soccer, but this game shows yet again that FIFA must install instant replay and position an extra official behind each goal. The USA should have won by 2.

World Cup Soccer: Nigeria 2 South Korea 2

2010-06-24T10:46:00.002-04:00

The Africans came into the match with a poor understanding of the referee, but both teams played a good, clean, and entertaining game.

World Cup Soccer: South Africa 2 France 1

2010-06-24T10:44:00.000-04:00

South Africa needed to win by four goals to advance, but at least salvaged their pride. The same cannot be said for France.

World Cup Soccer: Spain 2 Honduras 0

2010-06-24T10:38:00.001-04:00

Perhaps Torres should still be recovering from his knee injury. Great chances but no goals for him. Great play by Spain.

World Cup Soccer: Portugal 7 N Korea 0

2010-06-24T10:37:00.001-04:00

Great game for Portugal. North Korea will play hard in their final game, which is against CIV, who will try to score 7 goals against them.

A quick word about corner kicks

2010-06-24T10:35:00.000-04:00

When taking corner kicks, especially with a soccer ball that is difficult for Caltech to understand, place one player on the far side, just in case the ball travels too far.

So far, I've only seen Japan do this.

World Cup Soccer Red Card: CIV 1 BRA (3)

2010-06-20T16:41:00.003-04:00

If Brazil continues to be treated as favorably in the rest of the competition as it was today, it will surely win the World Cup. This reminds me of 4 years ago, when the Italian football association needed -- and got -- a world cup win in order to avoid an investigation of league corruption.

Makes you wonder what Brazil has to hide.

Drogba did have a moment of brilliance.

Brazil had a goal scored by a player who touched it twice with his hands. The Univision commentator said, "if Maradona's goal was scored by the hand of God, then this one, with two handballs, featured both of God's hands."

Kaka got thrown off with a red card only after the Brazilians taught the CIV players how to dive in order to get the referee's attention. If the ref had yellow carded a Brazilian early in the match for diving, the game would have been different -- but CIV might have won, and FIFA cannot allow that.

World Cup Yellow Card: ITA 1 NZ 1

2010-06-20T11:57:00.000-04:00

Melissa: "It's their Miracle on Ice" Semi-pros beat the heavily favored pros.

"This is pathetic. The theatrics are really sad."

Italy tried to cheat in order to win this game and their cheating only managed avoiding a loss.

World Cup Soccer: Denmark 2 Cameroon 1

2010-06-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

One of the cleanest and most beautiful games played so far. These teams and their fans are world class in terms of sportsmanship and politeness and civilization.

World Cup Soccer Red Card: Australia 1 Ghana 1

2010-06-20T10:46:00.000-04:00

Just as in 2006, Australia is felled by a blatant miscall and a penalty awarded. In 2006, Australia was eliminated by a penalty kick unfairly awarded to an Italian professional bellyflopper.

World Cup Soccer: Holland 1 Japan 0

2010-06-20T10:43:00.000-04:00

A very good match, one of the few so far, and one that might have seen many more goals except that both goalies were very good.

World Cup Soccer: England 0 Algeria 0

2010-06-20T10:42:00.000-04:00

England have to score another goal and to play better as a team -- but at least they're not France...

World Cup Soccer Referee: Slovenia 2 USA 2

2010-06-20T10:40:00.000-04:00

In a World Cup filled with poor refereeing decisions, this was the worst. Great play by team USA opposed by a referee from Mali who hated them. Referees do sometimes hate team USA.

World Cup Soccer: Germany 0 Serbia 1

2010-06-20T10:38:00.000-04:00

The boring team won again, but Germany should have been more aggressive. The only bright side is that the result means everyone in the group could still advance.

The Italian Strategy

2010-06-20T10:33:00.000-04:00

In a computer game, the Italians would have the following abilities:

1) Acting. Any opposing foul turned into a yellow card. Any opposing yellow card turned into a red card.

2) Entitlement. Preferential treatment by refs in every game.

3) Catenaccio. Number of goals scored by each team are divided by 2 and rounded down.

World Cup Soccer: Argentina 4 South Korea 1

2010-06-17T17:25:00.001-04:00

Both teams played a beautiful game. It could be argued that South Korea were punished for making it interesting by attacking instead of playing the whole game on defense. I hope that these are the two teams that qualify from this group.

I also think that Messi needs a rest and should not play in the next game.

World Cup Soccer Red Card: Greece 2 Nigeria 1

2010-06-17T17:24:00.000-04:00

This game shows that soccer needs instant replay in order to get rid of the acting. Vassilis Torosidis should be suspended. The only good thing is that Greece is unlikely to advance as they play Argentina next (who may go easy on them) and South Korea should beat a demoralized Nigerian team. I had picked Nigeria as the African team most likely to win this world cup.

World Cup Soccer: France 0 Mexico 2

2010-06-17T17:21:00.001-04:00

Mexico played a beautiful game and won. I'm glad the agressive team won one (unlike SPA vs SUI).

World Cup Soccer: South Africa 0 Uruguay 3

2010-06-17T17:20:00.001-04:00

South Africa could still qualify by beating France in their next match, which I hope they do, as long as Mexico beats Uruguay.

World Cup Soccer: Spain 0 Switzerland 1

2010-06-17T17:19:00.001-04:00

Spain is one of the most entertaining teams to watch. I hope they win the cup and that they score many goals the next time they play so well. I hate the boring defensive soccer that is too often rewarded.

Goals by nation that the player plays in professionally

2010-06-17T17:16:00.000-04:00

Spain: 7
Eng: 6
Ger: 4
Fra, Mex: 3
Italy, Turkey, Greece: 2
Japan, South Africa, Russia, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal (and North Korea): 1

Sure, everyone's tracking which national team scores how many goals. This shows which leagues have the best players.

World Cup Soccer: Brazil 2 North Korea 1

2010-06-15T17:19:00.002-04:00

Brazil gets punished for playing 60 boring minutes. They have to hope that North Korea ties one of the other two opponents (I hope North Korea punishes Portugal for playing boring soccer. Brazil v. CIV on Sunday on ABC. I'm looking forward to it.

World Cup Soccer: Cote D'Ivoire 0 Portugal 0

2010-06-15T17:18:00.001-04:00

A boring and disappointing game.

BTW, CIV recognizes only its name in French, not its name in English. The
Spanish is Costa de Marfil.

World Cup Soccer: New Zealand 1 Slovakia 1

2010-06-15T17:16:00.001-04:00

The highlight of the day and upset of the tournament so far, New Zealand scored a goal for the first time ever and showed that Oceania has a place in the World Cup.

Why Nate Silver's World Cup model is doing so badly

2010-06-14T18:04:00.000-04:00

Quick thoughts, but Nate Silver's world cup statistical model is doing badly for several reasons.

1) Soccer is not baseball. It does not have repeated activities that are easy to measure statstically.

2) The World Cup delivers little data. Teams perform differently in the finals than in qualification. Those such as the USA that face poor quality opposition get ranked too high. Others get ranked too low.

3) The Africa factor. The African teams are underfunded compared to, for example, Japan, and therefore naturally perform less well than better funded teams. England's coach makes $9 million per year. The US coach makes $500,000. African coaches make less, and also may have a shorter tenure.

4) A low scoring game can have unpredictable results -- especially in games decided by a red card or penalty kick (or even a free kick).

World Cup Soccer: Great Websites for US Viewers

2010-06-14T17:42:00.000-04:00

The ESPN / ABC TV schedule is here (I have it in EST).

This excellent diagram (h/t Glenn Strachan) provides several ways to slice and dice world cup data.

The official site of the world cup finals is here, and the qualifiers are here. Both are large sites with a lot of data, but you have to dig to find it.

Italy 1 Paraguay 1

2010-06-14T17:39:00.001-04:00

Italy played the usual boring catenaccio. Paraguay, the number 2 team out of South America, played a far more timid game than I expected, but this bullet to the head is the likely reason.

Italy substituted their superstar goalie out of the game. I wonder how it will effect his confidence. The press was told he had a hamstring injury, but I suspect vicious Italian pique ("I have no intention of paying a salary to someone who has ruined Italian soccer").

World Cup: Japan 1 Cameroon 0

2010-06-14T17:28:00.001-04:00

Sometimes, African teams choke on the world stage. This was sad to watch, but the Japanese played very well.

World Cup: Netherlands 2 Denmark 0

2010-06-14T17:27:00.002-04:00

A strange game. No total football was played by either team. I hope these teams play harder in the future. I had expected a 4-3 win for Holland.

World Cup: Serbia 0 Ghana 1

2010-06-14T17:26:00.000-04:00

Serbia played better than I expected them to and Ghana played worse. This game was decided by a penalty kick and a red card. I hope both teams do better in subsequent games.

World Cup: Germany 4 Australia 0

2010-06-14T17:24:00.000-04:00

Australia is much worse without Kewell, who is very much like Michael Owen, but I expected more from them. They were brilliant in the last world cup and lost only to Italian cheating.

Germany played a perfect game, but one astute commentator noted that Argentina had a perfect game in the first round in the last world cup and did not win it. Germany's next game is very important and will show whether that perfection lasted only one game.

World Cup: England 1 USA 1

2010-06-14T17:21:00.002-04:00

England scored both goals; USA happy with the result. But I expected more from both teams. Sloppy play from everyone but Gerrard, and Gerrard was playing solo too much. The English need better teamwork, and the Americans need better individual performances. Howard is a superstar. I hope he moves to Liverpool FC.

World Cup: Argentina 1 Nigeria 0

2010-06-14T17:20:00.000-04:00

I felt bad for Nigeria, a team that has played beautiful soccer in previous world cups. I also expected more from Argentina.

World Cup: France 0 Uruguay 0

2010-06-14T17:19:00.001-04:00

As expected, the Euros played boring and defensive soccer. Uruguay, one of the lower ranked South American countries, has potential but little confidence.

World Cup: South Africa 1 Mexico 1

2010-06-14T17:18:00.001-04:00

This was a fun game with two good goals and a good lesson on the offsides rule. I think the offsides rule should be changed to "one player other than the goalie between the ball and the net".

The Return of the Defensive D

2010-05-03T13:34:00.000-04:00

It's not the end of the goalie era.

Instead, it's the return of defense. Mike Green is out. Chris Pronger is in. Zdeno Chara is in.

Next year, expect playoff hopefuls to look for a Scott Stevens (not an Ilya Kovalchuk).

Craig Rivet and their fellow defensive defensemen deserve more praise than they have received. Eaton in PIT deserves praise too.

I expect the value of the truly forceful D man to rise at the end of the year.

Congrats to Yahoo for Calling Out the Blind Refs

2010-05-03T12:59:00.001-04:00

Kudos for this blog post.

Joe Pavelski for Conn Smythe

2010-04-29T23:56:00.000-04:00

Pavelski tonight scored the first goal and the GWG in a 4-3 victory over the Red Wings.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/boxscore?gid=2010042918

Pavelski's doing very, very well, standing out on a team with Heatley and Thornton

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/boxscore?gid=2010042918

He has playoff goals 6 and 7 tonight.

First Lawsuit Against a League For Head Trauma

2010-04-06T11:23:00.000-04:00

Keep an eye on this one:

California’s workers’ compensation system provides a unique, and relatively unknown, haven for retired professional athletes among the 50 states, allowing hundreds of long-retired veterans each year to file claims for injuries sustained decades before. Players need not have played for California teams or be residents of the state; they had to participate in just one game in the state to be eligible to receive lifetime medical care for their injuries from the teams and their insurance carriers.

About 700 former N.F.L. players are pursuing cases in California, according to state records, with most of them in line to receive routine lump-sum settlements of about $100,000 to $200,000. This virtual assembly line has until now focused on orthopedic injuries, with torn shoulders and ravaged knees obvious casualties of the players’ former workplace.

But Dr. Perfetto’s contention that Mr. Wenzel’s dementia relates to his football employment represents a significant shift, several lawyers involved in the California system said. They estimated the case’s potential value at more than $1 million if it reaches its conclusion, probably in two or three years.

I Believe the Capitals Will Win At Least One Round

2010-04-04T19:42:00.002-04:00

But in addition to the concerns voiced by Umberger, I would add that they actually play too rough and will take too many injuries or suspensions in early rounds.

This is doubly true if they meet Philadelphia early on. I think anyone _could_ beat Philadelphia in round 1, but the physical cost might be so high that they would lose in the next round to any opponent.

Will TV Cash Bring NHL To Russian Olympics?

2010-04-01T12:24:00.000-04:00

NHL Commissioner Bettman is making foolish promises to NHL owners about future TV deals. Problem is, he has no credibility.

Bettman now says that the Olympics will bring in more fans, but last month he said he wasn't sure the NHL would let its players go to Russia in 2014.

Bettman needs to do what's good for the sport:

1) Implement a real head shot rule and start calling the Intent to Injure 5 minute major.

2) Implement a short season in 2014 in order to make the Olympics possible and in order to not break players' health. A 60 game season would work.

3) Cut the season anyway to 72 games or less. With 4 groups of 8 teams and no cross conference play, you get 7 x 6 + 8 x 4 = 74 games at most. With cross conference play, you get 7 x 4 + 8 x 2 + 16 x 1 = 60 games.

League Will Be Responsible If It Ignores the Players

2010-03-22T20:39:00.000-04:00

The NHL Players Association wants a very stict rule about headshots.

The NHL (Bettman) disagrees. He won't act until a player dies or until Crosby has his career-ending consussion.

Now Suspend Him

2010-03-15T01:02:00.000-04:00

The fine print says that Ovechkin doesn't get an automatic suspension, but the NHL is going to be serious about enforcing the rules on star players not named Pronger (see flowchart, h/t Max), then Ovechkin had to be suspended, or we'll see more of this.

One difference about this boarding game misconduct -- it wasn't against a Buffalo player. In the past, Ovechkin boarded Briere and Kaleta, both while they played for the Sabres.

Fans Will Demand the NHL Support The Olympics

2010-02-26T00:27:00.000-05:00

The biggest problem with not participating in the Russian Olympics in 2014, as Bettman and Burke hope to, is that the NHL may never be able to return to the Olympics.

Of course, Bettman is intent on running the sport into the ground and bankrupting the league in the name of the short-term demands of owners and general managers, but anyone who cares about the long term future of the sport would set aside time for participation.

All the league has to do is run a shorter year, perhaps 4 division games + 2 conference games + 1 cross-conference game = 20 + 20 + 15 games = 55 games instead of 81 games.

Perhaps Bettman is upset that the Olympics are upstaging him -- they will have higher TV rankings than any hockey game he's associated with this year.

Suspend OKT from the Olympics permanently

2010-02-24T13:39:00.002-05:00

This dirty headshot by Flyers defenseman Ole Kristian Tollefson should draw a ban from the next Olympics, in my opnion.

Crappy Olympics Broadcasts

2010-02-19T13:55:00.000-05:00

The quality of the broadcast feed from the Olympics is shocking. There are stutters and lossed data. It's as bad or even worse than what we'd get if we were watching it over the internet.

I cannot understand why the olympics and the NHL would let this happen. If this continues during the Czech - Russia and USA - Canada games on Sunday, maybe some of the professional commentators will be forced to mention it.

Also, I think there should be a mercy rule. When one team is 10 goals ahead, the game is over. Let's institute it in the NHL too.

Gorges Hit By Slapshot, But Still Lucky

2010-02-10T22:57:00.000-05:00

Montreal Defenceman Josh Gorges was hit by a slapshot but luckily was able to walk off the ice with assistance.

Can we do anything to prevent this?

Swedish Referee Dies During Game

2010-02-04T17:56:00.000-05:00

A 62 year old referee in Sweden died while refereeing a game for 18 year old when he was hit on the back of the head by a puck.

I hope that North American referees are protected.

Selanne Returned Too Soon

2010-02-03T02:04:00.000-05:00

This is one of the most unpleasant hockey videos I've ever seen.

He suffered a broken jaw on January 13. He returned to the ice on February 1.

That's wrong -- even for a player who is about to retire.

Sports medicine is bad.

Will the NHL Crack Down on Cornier?

2010-01-23T00:27:00.002-05:00

When an 18 year old player goes into convulsions and the Premier of Quebec complains about it, maybe the NHL will do something.

NFL Concussion Story Just Won't Die

2010-01-05T23:20:00.000-05:00

Kudos to the NY Times for keeping on the story. John Conyers recently questioned the NFL's concussion expert on the subject.

The NHL should get ready for this. The NHL needs to take concussions seriously.

For example, Phaneuf should have been suspended for the hit on Kopitar even though Kopitar was not hurt.

NHL Must Do Better on Concussions

2009-12-17T23:58:00.000-05:00

The NFL has been making news by finally admitting it has a concussion problem. Now new research will shine the same spotlight on the NHL.

The New York Times today reported that researchers found that the corpse of fistfighter Reggie Fleming died in part from a neurogenetive disease caused by head trauma.

The news comes as nifty Congressman John Conyers held another hearing on head injuries in football.

In both sports, the ones who pay the nastiest price are the under-21 youth. Both leagues must act now out of common decency -- and to avoid overwhelming liability in the future.

Bring Back the Ties

2009-11-30T15:49:00.000-05:00

I commented on this blog here.

I agree with Puck Daddy that the shootout is a cynical sideshow:

Comedy aside, the key phrase: "entertainment option." Which is what the shootout is, of course: A sideshow rather than an equitable and effective way to determine the winner of a professional team game. Hence the outrage.

Homophobia Has No Place in Hockey

2009-11-30T11:52:00.000-05:00

Cheers to Brian Burke's son Brendan for stepping out of the closet.

Part of what I like in hockey is the diversity of nationalities represented. I am also upset when I hear that some people are discouraged from talking their native language.

Did NFL Concussion Experts Quit or Were They Fired?

2009-11-25T11:44:00.000-05:00

The New York Times has a carefully written article that says that controversial head injury experts quit after extensive criticism of their lack of concern about head injuries.

The article says that Dr. Ira Casson and Dr. David Viano were members of the committee since 1994 and co-chairmen since 2007. The firing or quitting was announced on Tuesday and earlier, on Sunday, the NFL said it will work with the NFL Players' Association (NFLPA) to identify independent neurologists to say whether or not players are fit to play.

I am glad that the NFL is taking the first steps in addressing sport medicine, where doctors are encouraged to get players back on the field at the expense of their long term health.

I hope that the NHL will follow their example -- but first the NHL Players' Association (NHLPLA) will have to clean itself up.

FIFA Should Ban France's Gallas For World Cup Cheat

2009-11-18T17:44:00.000-05:00

The Frenchman put the put in the back of the net by using his hand, winning the game for France over Ireland in a very controversial game.

FIFA should respond by letting the result stand but banning Galas from World Cup 2010.

Shrink the league!

2009-11-07T16:28:00.000-05:00

THN's Ryan Kennedy makes a very good case.

I would add this -- go to 78 games:

Two groups of 7 teams in each conference

6 teams x 6 games = 36

7 teams x 4 games = 28

14 teams x 1 game (cross conference) = 14 games

Total: 78 games.

Phoenix and one other team would go (Isles?).

Young Defencemen on the Rise

2009-11-05T18:47:00.001-05:00

Great article here.

I would highlight Yandle and Myers as players who will excel.

Another Head Shot, Another Test for the NHL

2009-10-30T23:45:00.001-04:00

This time it was Andrew Ladd, ejected three minutes into the game for a head shot on D'Agostini. Ladd should be suspended -- but Richards should be too.

NHL Fails the Mike Richards Test

2009-10-30T11:28:00.000-04:00

Mike Richards clearly intended to injure David Booth (17 second video) and although he got 5 minutes for intent to injure and thrown out of the game, he was not suspended for that act.

Today, RotoWire.com commentator Janet Eagleson (available on Yahoo).

She wrote, "there’s a huge difference between a good, hard check in the heat of the action and a headshot when the opponent’s guard is down."

She's write, and the NHL needs to do something about it.

Does the NFL Think the Concussion Problem Will Go Away?

2009-10-29T16:16:00.000-04:00

The NY Times is not dropping the story.

The NHL should be proactive on this issue and not wait until it gets shamed into action.

NFL Still In Denial About Concussion Problem

2009-10-27T11:52:00.000-04:00

Great story today in The NY Times.