The Nasvhille Predators’ captain, Shea Weber (AKA the man with one of the best playoff beards in the NHL), didn’t play in last night’s game against the Red Wings (giving rookie Ryan Ellis a chance to make his NHL debut), and everyone was pretty quiet about why Weber was MIA. The most specific report said “upper body injury.”
This morning, though, the Preds announced their captain is out with a concussion:
According to the team, Weber “is out for Wed game with a concussion sustained at Dallas. He will be evaluated on a daily basis with no timetable on his return.”
However, the Predators’ Twitter feed also contained a pair of quotes from coach Barry Trotz in which he said of Weber, “He’s recovering pretty well, I would say,” and that “there’s a chance (he could play) Friday.”
Noooooooooooooo! Not Weber, too! Sidney Crosby and Chris Pronger are also both out with concussions. Why is hockey being such a jerk this year?
Because it’s on the verge of making rule changes to reduce brain injuries, I hope?
@1 They’re certainly making head shots a big point of emphasis for disciplinary action this year. With that comes a greater emphasis on proper recovery times. There have been some high-profile former player deaths recently for guys suffering from CTE (Bob Probert, anyone?).
@2, I’ve been astonished at the NYT series on Boogaard, too. If anyone hasn’t seen it yet, this examination of how international hockey just doesn’t have fights like we do links right to it.
http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/1…
One of those changes should be the elimination of fighting from the game. If you haven’t read the NY Times 3-part article on Boogaard, I highly recommend it.
I don’t think the problem is the rules necessarily, it’s just that they are actually taking the proper stance on concussion symptom maintenance. The players would have kept playing in the past, and now they are given a chance to heal.
Obviously, with the number of concussions the league has to do something about it, and I think a good place to start is stricter enforcement of the rules already in place.
@3 great minds and great articles!
NHL fun fact: All steroid testing is banned during the playoffs.
Fighting is running out (has already run out?) of justifications to remain in the game. All it is is this loosely choreographed dance that provides sideshow value. You have all these players (like Boogaard) who really, when it comes down to it, lack the skill and ability to compete with other pros. How does having skill-deficient players at the top ranks benefit the league, or the game itself? It does not.
I can accept a future where fighting is reduced to rare, incidental frequency. It’s a fast, physical game and tempers will inevitably flare. But this “every team has a huge guy who sucks at hockey, but they trot him out to wail on the other team’s huge guy who sucks at hockey” stuff doesn’t have a justifiable place in the game, if it ever did.
@7: Yes, the NYT article was an eye opener for me too. I had no idea fighting was such an intrinsic part of the NHL game that candidates for the position of “enforcer” are actually farmed through the minor league system and promoted based only on their abilities to win fights, just like players in the other positions are cultivated for their ability to score, make assists and do defensive plays. I will oppose the NHL coming to Seattle in any deal involving a new SODO arena unless the rules permitting fighting are changed. The NHL game deserves no respect as it stands.
@7, I’m with you.
Someone please explain to me the difference between hockey and cage match fights.
@10 Cage match fights are less predictable. Every hockey fight is more or less exactly the same:
-Drop Gloves
-Circle each other
-Grab jersey with weaker hand
-Start furiously punching with stronger hand
-First one to go down (by KO, lost balance, or whatever) loses.
In an MMA-style cage fight, you have kicks, holds, and varied fighting styles. It’s not just the same thing over and over.
@12, well, there was that guy in Boston recently who ended his fight by shitting in his opponent’s glove. That’s not the same thing over and over.
@12, that’s right – “Nguyen-ey the Pooh”.
@12 True, and any rule modification to discourage fighting must also include a provision to discourage glove-shitting. Sets a shitty example for our kids, you know?
I’m not glad that Pronger’s career is probably over because of this concussion, but it is worth noting that he has probably dished out more concussions than there are players on his team during his career.
@14, besides, the league can’t afford the amount of anti-bacterial hand soap required to get that off your hands. I went through an entire dispenser of the stuff, and all I did was read about it.