Respect another hard-hitting issue
Chris Higgins, a Yale-educated forward for the Montreal Canadiens, said concussions are not just an NHL problem.
"It's probably the hottest issue in sports right now," he said after a morning skate at TD Banknorth Garden prior to his team's game against the Bruins in January.
Higgins - who said watching the Oct. 27 hit by the Flyers' Randy Jones that put the Bruins' Patrice Bergeron on the sideline for at least the rest of the regular season was "hard to take" - believes he knows the problem.
"I don't think there's a lot of respect," he said. "You're told to hit 'em as hard as you can. Guys want to put guys out of the game with their hits. I mean, I still hit guys as hard as I can; you have to. I just do it. I think the way you hit people has to change. I think that, along with hopefully the information available to kids, they'll respect head shots and those types of injuries. So it's ingrained in them when they grow up to play in the NHL they're not putting a forearm to the back of some guy's head."
Higgins said he sustained one concussion, early in his career.
"It was the scariest experience of my life," he said. "I didn't know what was going on. I can only imagine that a 12-year-old is terrified."
According to Higgins, bigger players translate into bigger hits. "If I go up against Z [Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara], his shoulders are here," he said, pointing to his head. "If he hits me in the head, it's natural. I'm 6 feet - he's 6-9. It's gonna happen. I understand that. But I think you can see the intent sometimes is to hurt somebody."
Higgins has become a spokesman for The Montreal Children's Hospital, and he said his visit to the facility earlier this season was eye-opening.
"I got introduced to two kids in the hospital," Higgins said. "One was a hockey player who got hit from behind. The other was a soccer player. They were having a lot of trouble still with dizziness and memory loss. It was scary to see that these young kids could have their entire lives affected by concussions. By having the effects compounded by coming back too early." His advice to kids: "Play hard, but play smart. It's a cliché, but if you respect your opponent, they'll respect you. The earlier you get that on board, the better it is for when you grow up."
The problem is magnified because kids emulate their heroes, and a macho attitude still prevails among many coaches.
Carlo Galli, trauma coordinator at The Montreal Children's Hospital, treats more than 1,000 sports concussion injuries each year. Galli tried to meet with hockey coaches at every level to distribute a free concussion safety kit that gives specific guidelines about returning from the brain injury. He didn't receive the same reception he had from representatives of other sports.
"It's weird, it's really weird," said Galli. "Other sports, no problem, great. Even football. They were more than glad to have us. We thought it would be a great way to go out and educate people. But in the 21st century, it's still amazing how people don't understand the ramifications of concussions. The message is the players have to tough it out. Take two Tylenol and compete for their team and their city. Don't be a wimp."
