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"Education, education,
education."
That was the mantra repeated
again and again during the
London Hockey Concussion
Summit on Saturday.
"A lot of people don't have
[concussion] information,"
said Jeff Beukeboom, a
former NHLer who's now a
head coach in the OHL.
"Today is so important-we
all have to spread the
word."
Hundreds attended the
day-long event, which
featured presentations by
many experts, as well as
testimonials from former and
current hockey players on
how concussions hurt their
careers.
"It's a real tough injury
for people to deal with,"
said Jennifer Botterill, a
member of the national
women's team who spoke at
the event. "I didn't
feel like myself, and that's
the most upsetting part."
Eric Lindros, the former NHL
superstar who was plagued by
concussions for most of his
career, also spoke at the
summit. |
"I know that I've learned a lot
[today]," he said. "There's very
knowledgeable people [here], and
hopefully word is going to spread."
To say the event was "packed with
information" would be an understatement.
The speakers discussed a number of
topics, and had many more brought to
their attention during audience question
periods. This included concussion
symptoms, short- and long-term effects,
diagnosis, treatment, prevention options
and equipment concerns.
Message made clear
But the main message was clear: Most
people in the hockey world don't take
concussions seriously enough.
"Many of us in this crowd, including
myself, have turned our heads at some
time, and pretended this injury did not
occur," said Dr. Paul Echlin, the summit
chair. "Concussions do exist.
And as a responsible society, we must
come together and take action against
the underlying root causes."
Unsettling images and video of players
sprawled on the ice reminded the
audience of how serious the injury
really is. It came along with some
sobering concussion stats, including:
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Sixty per cent of hockey players
polled said they've had at least one
concussion, according to a B.C.
minor hockey study in 2000.
The kids were aged 15-20.
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In the NCAA, concussion frequency
was highest in women's hockey,
according to a study in 2007. Men's
hockey was No. 2 on the list.
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Only half of 156 minor hockey
coaches passed a 2007 test
recognizing concussion-like
symptoms, according to Dr. Michael
Czarnota, the neuropsychological
consultant for the OHL and the WHL.
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There is one concussion in every 15
games in the NHL, according to Dr.
Ruben Echemendia, director of the
NHL's neuropsychological testing
program.
"Not enough people know about
concussions, especially at the lower
levels," Beukeboom said. "I think that's
our biggest problem."
And many speakers pointed out that this
lack of concussion knowledge leads many
people in the hockey world to believe
that someone who's just had their "bell
rung" is normally no cause for concern.
"It seems like it's part of the
bravado," said Alyn McCauley, who played
eight seasons in the NHL and is now an
assistant coach at Queen's University.
A number of speakers said this "bravado"
affects all levels of the game. In
many cases, players don't want to fess
up to injuries for fear of being
considered weak. And more than a
few coaches and parents don't know
enough about the injury to keep the
players out of the lineup.
And then they see NHL players come back
in the same game that they're dinged,
and get the wrong idea altogether.
"Everybody wants to prove they are
tough," Czarnota said. "But when
it comes to a head injury, you can't
play through it."
The entire panel agreed: A change in
mindset needs to happen at all levels of
hockey to stop the rising number of
concussions, and it needs to start right
away.
"People have asked me if I'm organizing
this summit again next year," Echlin
said. "I hope not. I hope we
get the change going now."
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