The biggest issue in the N.H.L that nobody is talking about.

Neuro Athletes,

On May 20, 2021, the National Hockey League (NHL) Game 1 against Montreal Canadiens saw John Tavares, captain and forward of Toronto’s Maple Leafs, falling to the ice after a collision with Ben Chiarot, followed by a kick in the head by Corey Perry. Moments later, Tavares left the game on a stretcher, giving a thumbs-up as he was taken off the ice. 

Two weeks later, in a game against Winnipeg, Canadiens’ forward, Jake Evans, was seen scoring a last-minute goal before the collision with Scheifele sent him hitting his head on the ice. Eight minutes later, he was stretchered off with a similar thumbs-up sign. 

Tavares and Evans were diagnosed with a concussion or what the athletes described as “getting their bells rung”, joining seven other players who were also diagnosed with a concussion this year, according to CBS Sports' NHL Injury Tracker.

(Getty Images)

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NHL CONCUSSION STATISTICS

Between 2006 and 2010, the NHL games averaged 6.05 concussions per 100 games. Further analysis showed that the causes were:

• 88% from contact with opponents, including 9.2% from fighting. 

• 10% from accidental fall, tripping, or collision with teammates.
  

In terms of position as a risk factor: 

• 65% of concussions were suffered by forwards

• 32% by defensemen

• 3% by goalies. 

Spoiler alert: there are many more undiagnosed concussions in the NHL that are going undiagnosed.

Here’s why…

There’s a general lower sense of urgency around head injuries in the NHL compared to the N.F.L., including hockey’s lower profile in the sports landscape, and fewer deaths making headlines. Concussions are talked about based off of the reaction of the social media world and typically include feelings of empathy towards the player that suffered an injury. It’s as if the brains of these athletes are less important become the revenue model is not as great as others.

In 2018, the NHL reached a $18.9 million settlement with a group of 318 former players who for years alleged that the league had failed to protect and educate its athletes with respect to the risks of repeated head trauma. But the deal’s terms were muted. The NHL did not have to acknowledge any liability or admit to any connections between hockey’s physical and at times outright violent nature and CTE. The players were denied their attempt to structure the lawsuit as a class action. And the dollar amounts—roughly $22,000 per player, plus various supplemental funds for some medical costs—were far lower than the negotiated payouts in the NFL’s billion-dollar settlement from 2015.

So you can keep up to speed on the magnitude of the effects that a single concussion has on a player, let’s do a short neurology lesson.

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NEUROLOGY OF A CONCUSSION

A concussion is defined as a temporary neurologic dysfunction resulting from a blow to the head. During a concussion, the brain undergoes a “neurometabolic cascade” in which there is an unregulated release of neurotransmitters called glutamate that causes ionic (K+ and Ca2+) imbalance in the cells. To fix this neurochemical imbalance, the brain needs more energy. However, the supply of energy is limited by the impaired blood flow in the brain, thus resulting in a mismatch between energy supply and demand (“energy crisis”). As a result, the person experiences symptoms like disorientation, dizziness, headache, confusion, and visual disturbance. 

(Image/ The New York Times)

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CONSEQUENCES OF A CONCUSSION ON N.H.L PLAYERS

In his 12-year career, Tavares has had a record of two concussions while Evans has had three since his debut in 2018. 

With more games ahead of them means more chances of adding on to their history of concussions. This puts them at risk of developing post-concussion syndromes and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive neurotrauma and can only be diagnosed posthumously.

This can be seen in veterans like Daniel Carcillo, Connor Crisp, and Nick Boynton — all three were forced to retire from head trauma after at least seven concussions. 

“The quality of life that repetitive traumatic brain injuries rob from you is… I would give back all of my money, I would give back all of my time. You can take my name off the Stanley Cup twice over… I can’t live like that anymore,” said Carcillo, two-times Stanley Cup winner who retired at the age of 30. 

Crisp, another former NHL player who retired at the age of 24, and who used to see the NHL as his dream, said: 

“Hockey is a game and this is life and this is no joke. To wake up and then go to bed and have a headache all day, and… it’s just… enough is enough.” 

While at least seven concussions have cost them their quality of life — at least nineteen concussions have cost the life of Steve Montador, Derek Boogard, Todd Ewen, and several junior hockey players who never made it to the NHL including Andrew Carroll and Kyle Raarup. All of them, similar to the eighty-seven deceased former NHL players, were diagnosed with CTE.

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What should we do about it?

While the medical community’s knowledge of this disease is advancing, there is still much research that the medical community is undertaking in order to better understand the nature of this neurodegenerative disease. However we can place more emphasis on the growing body of evidence that we currently have to help aid the diagnosis for N.H.L players to help mitigate the long term effects. 

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Well folks that’s it from me. If you like this and want in-depth research on the neuroscience of high-performance please consider joining my premium membership.

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