Commentary: Don’t Play with Concussions

Of all the disturbing trends in sports, and there are plenty of them, one of the most disturbing is the increasing rash of head injuries being suffered by athletes. It makes me wonder: are there really more head injuries today than ever before? Or were they just ignored in the past as players were encouraged to be tough? Maybe we see more concussions now because the players are bigger and stronger, but I have a sad feeling they were ignored in the past and now we just hear more about them than we used to. What makes concussions so scary is that we still don’t fully understand their effects and how to deal with them. I am gratified to see the approach of the St. Louis Blues, who in the past year gave Geoff Courtnall and Pavol Demitra all the time they needed to make sure they were completely recovered before returning to the ice. Courtnall ended up having to retire, which is probably what Steve Young and Eric Lindros should do. Injuries to the brain need to be treated more seriously than any other injury, and it’s up to the teams to be overly cautious in this area.