sawchuk1971
Registered User
- Jun 16, 2011
- 1,494
- 509
Lane Hinkley chooses to end his hockey career.
19 years young.
- The doctors say that my brain is damaged, he says.
Fighting in hockey has long been a debated topic. In recent times, outright fistfights have become increasingly rare, but they still occur - even at the junior level.
Lane Hinkley can attest to that.
The 19-year-old defenseman, who has played for the Charlottetown Islanders of the Canadian junior league QMJHL, has been involved in 14 fights over the past four seasons.
Now it has had consequences.
- Last Friday morning I found out that my hockey career is over. Too many bangs, too many punches, too many concussions that I didn't heal from. The doctors have discovered a 25 by 17 millimeter lesion on my brain and they say I am at risk for CTE and early dementia, he says.
CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy as it is actually called, is a brain disease caused by repeated violence to the head.
This leads to nerve cell damage, which in turn can lead to impaired memory, poor impulse control and greater susceptibility to addiction and depression.
Banned in Sweden
In Swedish hockey, they have worked actively to remove fights from the sport. In the current rulebook, it says this about "fighting".
"Fighting is not part of the sport's DNA. A player who voluntarily participates in a fight (Voluntary Participant), shall be subject to expulsion at the discretion of the Referee and may be disqualified from the match. Further disciplinary action may be taken.”
"Should be allowed"
One who, on the other hand, is in favor of a fight is Brynäs latest star signing – NHL veteran Jordie Benn, 36.
- I think that fights should be allowed, we are all men out there and it is a physical sport where it gets heated sometimes. Two players get their frustration out and it's over. But if instead that frustration is allowed to live on and live on and live on, that's when things really go wrong. That is my opinion. Fighting makes things happen. Then players know that "if I do this, I have to fight someone". It's an unwritten rule, don't do sh!t because then you have to stand up for it and fight. I am a big advocate for it to be included in the game, he said in an interview with Sportbladet last week.
19 years young.
- The doctors say that my brain is damaged, he says.
Fighting in hockey has long been a debated topic. In recent times, outright fistfights have become increasingly rare, but they still occur - even at the junior level.
Lane Hinkley can attest to that.
The 19-year-old defenseman, who has played for the Charlottetown Islanders of the Canadian junior league QMJHL, has been involved in 14 fights over the past four seasons.
Now it has had consequences.
- Last Friday morning I found out that my hockey career is over. Too many bangs, too many punches, too many concussions that I didn't heal from. The doctors have discovered a 25 by 17 millimeter lesion on my brain and they say I am at risk for CTE and early dementia, he says.
CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy as it is actually called, is a brain disease caused by repeated violence to the head.
This leads to nerve cell damage, which in turn can lead to impaired memory, poor impulse control and greater susceptibility to addiction and depression.
Banned in Sweden
In Swedish hockey, they have worked actively to remove fights from the sport. In the current rulebook, it says this about "fighting".
"Fighting is not part of the sport's DNA. A player who voluntarily participates in a fight (Voluntary Participant), shall be subject to expulsion at the discretion of the Referee and may be disqualified from the match. Further disciplinary action may be taken.”
"Should be allowed"
One who, on the other hand, is in favor of a fight is Brynäs latest star signing – NHL veteran Jordie Benn, 36.
- I think that fights should be allowed, we are all men out there and it is a physical sport where it gets heated sometimes. Two players get their frustration out and it's over. But if instead that frustration is allowed to live on and live on and live on, that's when things really go wrong. That is my opinion. Fighting makes things happen. Then players know that "if I do this, I have to fight someone". It's an unwritten rule, don't do sh!t because then you have to stand up for it and fight. I am a big advocate for it to be included in the game, he said in an interview with Sportbladet last week.
