Russ Bitely: NHL All-Concussed Team

Dustin Fink

From the inbox, an article;

Man oh man do I feel really bad for these guys — and for you and me too. Bad for them because they are the ones going through the trauma of the head injury and all the terrible symptoms that follow with the diagnosis of a concussion. It is one thing to lose the ability to stick handle a puck, take a check at center ice without feeling like your brains got scrambled, or even jump the boards for your next shift. That’s the game. It is totally a whole different story when you forget where your daughter’s school is, what date your wife’s birthday falls on, or even the desire to get out of bed in the morning — that’s life.

What else is awful about the concussion plague spreading around the hockey community? Well the fact that these players have devoted so much time, energy, and life into getting to the top professional league of the hockey world and in a moments flash the dream is or could be gone. How the hell would you feel if since age 4-5 you have been skating and where told no more. How the hell would you feel if you have been traveling all-around North America and beyond since the squirt/atom or pee wee days only to have your life-long dream in the NHL cut short. How the hell would you feel about all the sacrifice and commitment your family made over the years so you could do the thing you love, now perhaps just a distant memory.

That is how Russ Bitely, @russbites, started his article about concussions in the NHL, titled “The NHL All-Concussed Team“.  Bitely is a self-proclaimed hockey enthusiast who; “fell in love with the game in 1980 after USA’s “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid, NY. He played competitively for several years up through his collegiate career, and currently is coaching youth travel hockey in Rochester, NY area.”

There are some great ideas and they follow along with my Q&A with Fedor Fedin (trascribed in this post) that Russ takes a look at:

  • Bringing the center line back into play
  • Automatic/hybrid icing
  • Expanding the rinks (he understands the costs)
  • Limiting fighting
  • Equipment modifications
  • Better coaching/education
  • Independent medical teams

Thanks to Russ for passing this along, it fits well into the discussion…  Take the time to read what he has written HERE.

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