Concussions continue to plague NHL

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Dave Bolland thinks about it all the time: the concussion hes had, the worries of getting another one and the effects that could come in the future. And with Chris Pronger becoming the latest player sidelined by his own concussion problems, those thoughts are there again.

I think you always have them in the back of your head; you always have it sitting there, said Bolland, a day after the Philadelphia Flyers announced Pronger will miss the rest of this regular- and postseason. You never know going into a hit or anything, you could have another concussion. It does get scary.

Pronger is the latest to be felled by a concussion, and its unknown how it could affect the 37-year-old beyond this season. Will he play again? What does his injury now mean for his quality of life in the future? Its all unknown. And thats where it really gets scary.

Its a tough stretch right now for the league and certain teams with that diagnosis. The tough part about it all is the uncertainty, said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. At the end of the day you hope their quality of life gets back in order quickly, then you make other decisions. Its tough to hear that type of news.

Pronger is the latest to be sidelined by a concussion. His status for this season, unfortunately, is sealed. For others, such as Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby, Philadelphias Claude Giroux and now Carolinas Jeff Skinner, the term out indefinitely is part of a daily routine.

And while several players suffer through their concussion problems, talk continues on how to cut down on them. Sean ODonnell, who was Prongers teammate in Anaheim and Philadelphia, said players have to be proactive in protecting each other.

Everyone wants the big hit and you want your ice time and want your coach to be happy with you, but we have to realize were a fraternity out there. You want to make sure you take care of your guys, he said. You want to hit them hard. If they get hurt fairly, they do. But we need to make sure when someones vulnerable we pull up and our eyes dont light up because we think we can really put a hit on someone.

The term concussion epidemic has been a media story staple lately. But are concussions more prevalent now or are they just finally being recognized more?

I think theyre definitely being diagnosed more, ODonnell said. You used to hear the term stinger or got his bell rung, and if you added those up, they might be the same amount of times you hear concussion now.

Anaheim forward Teemu Selanne, who is still good friends with Pronger, said theres certainly a different outlook about concussions now compared to several years ago.

In the old times, nobody knew how dangerous they were. At that time, if you didnt play right away they thought you werent tough enough in this league, he said. Obviously, were all so concerned about concussions because you never know.

Blackhawks forward Jamal Mayers, who was Prongers teammateand sometimes roommateduring their St. Louis Blues days, said the concussion situation is three-fold.

First, theres more information and guys are more cognizant of when theyre concussed and reporting it; and doctors are more knowledgeable of whats going on, he said. Second, ever since the rule changes, guys are bigger, stronger, faster and theres not much obstruction for guys to get in and hit guys. The third part is, maybe weve lost a little bit of that respect for each other, and somehow hitting guys in vulnerable positions has been accepted.

The NHL is cracking down on the bad hits that cause these concussions. Brendan Shanahan has doled out the suspensions and players are getting the message. But sometimes even the clean hits cause concussions, so theyll never completely be eradicated.

Pronger is the latest concussion casualty. He wont be the last. Players are just trying to be as awareand safeas they can be.

I hope hes going to be better. This league needs a guy like Pronger, Selanne said. There are too many concussions right now. And the league and every player should be worried about it.

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