Tator’s campaign against hockey concussions – he became the Anti-Cherry after accusing Don Cherry, Hockey Night In Canada’s iconic Coach’s Corner of preaching “aggressive, lack-of-respect hockey†– came to Ottawa on Wednesday as part of the first Hockey Safety Summit.
The event, held by Reebok-CCM Hockey and the University of Ottawa’s Neurotrauma Impact Science Laboratory, featured representatives from various leagues, including the National Hockey League, Hockey Canada and the academic world, but it was Tator who stole the show with a passionate call for action on the No. 1 hockey injury.
“I’m out to protect the brain,†he told the gathering.†It’s so marvellous a structure – but so fragile.â€
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The point of concussions, he argued, is that so very little is known or understood about their immediate or long-term impact. Crosby, Tator suggested, may even have suffered previous concussions as a minor-league player. No one knows. And, he added, “No one can predict what the outcome will be.â€
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“It has captured the attention of a lot of people who weren’t paying attention to this point,†Tator said. Crosby’s situation, he believes, has both magnified the issue in the public mind and changed the talk of concussion from a debate over what they are to “How can we turn this around?â€
Most lesser leagues and minor hockey have taken steps to cut down on head shots, several organizations banning them outright, but everyone in the game is acutely aware that youngsters take their lead from their NHL heroes and will attempt to copy whatever they see on television.
So far, the NHL has only instituted a new rule on blindside hits to the head. The league sent a representative to the Summit, but refused comment. There is speculation, however, that changes may soon be forthcoming, including on-the-spot dressing-room checks done on NHL players rather than checking them out on the bench, as is currently done.
