Articles

[Tom Molloy]

Dean I watch Detroit play and they demonstrate that no rule changes are needed; just better coaching and playing full speed with good habits.

'The Game is the Greatest Coach'
'Enjoy the Game'

[hockeygod]

Detroit is good. Too bad most of the other teams don't have the ability to scout / draft and coach like them!

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Fighting in hockey begins long before games

By Robert Mays / Globe Correspondent / February 26, 2011

In mid-January, the Division 1 Legislative Council made a decision that made little noise among the conversation of major college sports, lost among news of basketball upsets and football recruiting.

But for college hockey, the verdict could not have been louder. The failure of the proposal — which would have disallowed college coaches to verbally offer a scholarship to a player before July 1 between that player’s junior and senior year of high school — provides the sport’s coaches with a chance to keep significant ground in its fight for the game’s best young talent.

The last five years have seen an increased departure of the country’s best prospective players to the Canadian Hockey League in order to play professionally for a league with a proven track record of sending players to the NHL.

To stem the threat of CHL drafts that select players at age 15, college coaches began recruiting more younger players than ever. Players gave verbal commitments to four years of college before they could drive to the rink. Still, the migration continued. According to Paul Kelly, director of College Hockey Inc., about 50 Americans were playing in the CHL five years ago. That number has increased to more than 125.

“We’re not going to be able to survive that rule and recruit the best young players,’’ Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said before the legislation was defeated. “It could be devastating to college hockey.’’

While the legislation’s defeat doesn’t solve the problems college hockey has encountered in the last five years, for many coaches it stands as a victory in the battle the sport is waging to keep its most promising young stars.

Tough opponent
One of the first players to force Red Berenson’s hand is a face that dominates Kelly’s presentation. Jack Johnson, a member of the 2010 US Olympic hockey team and the Los Angeles Kings, was 15 when Berenson, the coach at Michigan, received a call from Johnson’s father.

“He said, ‘There’s a CHL scout here waiting for Jack at his 7 a.m. job at the golf course, and he’s trying to recruit him to play in the CHL,’ ’’ Berenson said.

Johnson had attended Michigan hockey camps since elementary school, and because of the extended exposure, Berenson offered him a scholarship without much concern. Despite the comfort, Berenson felt a new paradigm entering college hockey.

“We had to respond,’’ Berenson said. “We knew Jack, and we knew he would be a good player, but we weren’t anticipating offering him a scholarship at age 15. The system put us in a position where we had to.’’

Berenson speaks with a knowing respect for the drawing power of the CHL.

“We definitely have a competitor that is relentless,’’ Berenson said.

The CHL, which is made up of three separate professional hockey leagues — the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League — markets its product to elite young players as the surest route to a career in professional hockey. For the last 40 years, that claim has met few disputes.

According to the OHL, half of all NHL players drafted since 1969 have come from the CHL, and in 2010, CHL players made up 51 percent of players drafted.

The success is credited to a hockey lifestyle that best mirrors what players will see at the NHL level.

OHL teams play an average of 68 games a year. A Division 1 program will play about 40. The schedule, style of play, and exposure to coaches and personnel departments with professional experience are all points on which the CHL claims an advantage.

Kelly concedes that historically, the CHL’s position as the best route to professional hockey may hold, despite recent gains from college hockey. According to his numbers, roughly one-third of players in the NHL are products of the collegiate game, a trend he sees growing because of the increased age and physical play of the NCAA product compared with the CHL.

But for Kelly and many of college hockey’s top coaches, the biggest gap doesn’t involve the players who eventually make it to the NHL. It involves the players who don’t.

To a degree
The challenge for those recruiting the best 15-year-old talent in the country is making players and parents understand the realities of their future.

“We tell them to use hockey,’’ Kelly said. “Get yourself admitted to a college. Use a scholarship to get you to a college. Don’t let hockey use you.

“Roughly 5 percent make it, and given that circumstance, education should never take a back seat.’’

From the educational packages to the institutions that provide them, Kelly believes schooling is what makes college hockey the superior option to time in the CHL.

Kelly claims that 84 percent of all NCAA hockey players will leave college with a degree, while the number in the CHL is approximately 16 percent. He also cites the limitations of educational benefits given to players at the major junior level. There, scholarships are given for each year of service to a team, and those scholarships, according to Kelly, are capped at around $4,500 and are only given for the institution closest to the home of the player’s parents.

“We’ll graduate more kids from our school each year than their whole league will,’’ Berenson said.

Each of those figures, and the claims such as Berenson’s that arise from them, are disputed by the WHL and CHL. Although the QMJHL limits its scholarships to $2,500 per semester, the WHL and CHL have policies they say give scholarships equivalent to tuition, books, and fees for the state university in which a player’s parents reside.

According to Joe Birch, the Director of Recruitment and Education Services for the OHL, for an OHL player from Michigan, a minimum scholarship of approximately $12,700 — the equivalent of a year of tuition, books, and fees at the University of Michigan — would be awarded per year of service in the OHL. Birch also claims the statement that only 16 percent of CHL players earn a diploma is “so far from the truth, it’s scary.’’

Birch’s figures show that 219 former CHL players accessed their scholarship funding during the 2010-11 school year, and that the league has a 95 percent success rate at the post-secondary level.

Luke Lynes is one of those players. A Washington, D.C., native, Lynes was drafted by the Brampton Battalion of the OHL in 2004 at age 16. He played four years for the team before trying his hand at professional hockey with the Edmonton Oilers and eventually choosing to use his education package to attend the University of New Brunswick.

Lynes says he is one of the lucky ones. His status as a third-round draft pick included a contract that comfortably covered his tuition and fees at UNB. For many of the midlevel players, however, their contract doesn’t come with the guarantee of a package that will cover their education costs after leaving the league.

“It ends up with a lot of guys that don’t get taken care of,’’ Lynes said. “I know there are a ton of guys that end up becoming police officers or firemen because that’s the only option available to them.

“I’ve got guys I played two or three years with, and I’ve got no ideas where some of these guys are. They’re definitely not in school.’’

Opinions vary
Jerry York has spent more than 30 years setting himself apart. The Boston College coach has more wins at the Division 1 level than any coach ever. Before the vote from the council came down last month, he was in scarce company again.

“It’s become a crazy situation for everyone that’s involved in it,’’ York said. “[The new legislation] would be terrific.’’

But for many of college hockey’s top coaches, the decision is one that preserves a fighting chance against the powerful opponent they face in addition to each other.

“The problem I would have with that legislation is that we’re already handicapped in our ability to recruit elite young players vs. the Canadian Hockey League,’’ Maine coach Tim Whitehead said. “If we implement those rules on ourselves, it would further restrict our options.’’

“I think we’re just playing into their hands,’’ Berenson said before the vote. “We have to be able to fight fire with fire. We can’t legislate ourselves out of the battle.’’

© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[DMan]

Someone in this forum pointed out a blog by Swen Nater, former UCLA basketball player under John Wooden.
http://blog.coachswen.com/

Lately he's been making some interesting posts under the heading of "The Ten Principles of Leadership I Learned from Coach Wooden." I have condensed the posts into a single document and attached it (minus a poem or two….sorry Swen) just because I think it's something I'll refer to every now and them over time.

Dave

Attachments

• The Ten Principles of Leadership I Learned from Coach Wooden.pdf (193 KB)

[hockeygod]

Good stuff Dave! I am reading another Wooden book right now…

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Crosby's concussion felt at youth hockey level

By ROY MACGREGOR Globe and Mail February 27, 2011

With their Canadian hockey hero on the sidelines, kids are starting to worry about concussions. 'They're all afraid of hits to the head. And it's all because of Sidney Crosby.'

"They're watching," she says, "and it's all because of Sidney Crosby."

She calls herself a "hockey mom" – but Edite Ozols is much more than that. She is watching her son, Markus, and all his 10-year-old teammates on the AAA Mississauga Rebels. This is a level where, if what we usually read and hear is true, the coaches are control-freak tyrants, the parents are insanely and pathetically ambitious and the kids play so much that by the time the postseason arrives they are as burnt out as Victoria Day fireworks.

But this is not what she is seeing. She is watching something else – something to do with hero worship among 10-year-olds for the player who scored Canada's golden goal exactly one year ago, Sidney Crosby, the greatest player in the game today yet is not, sadly, actually in the game today because of concussion symptoms.

"Maybe our situation is a bit atypical," Ozols says of her and her family's minor-hockey experience, "but Markus plays on a wonderful team, he has wonderful coaches and the parents are wonderful.

"Hockey has been a joyous experience for us."

Why, then, the hesitation? What has she seen that so obviously troubles her?

Edite Ozols is also a trained psychologist. Her university research was in neuropsychology. Before she went to work in the school system, she worked directly with patients who had suffered head trauma, often severe, and usually in motor-vehicle accidents.

She has noticed something of late. Her son and his teammates had been looking forward, keenly, to the introduction of body-checking next year. Anyone who has ever coached at the minor-league levels knows of this phenomenon: the almost visceral excitement that comes over a team about to move into more competitive, more NHL-style hockey. It is also the time when so many youngsters, especially those down the growth curve, decide to bail on the game when, in a seeming instant, it jumps from no contact to full body contact.

Crosby, she says, is a living god to these youngsters, whether they play in Mississauga or Moncton or Maple Ridge. "These are all boys who live and dream hockey 24 hours a day, and he is their hero.

"They all were looking forward to checking next year. They wanted it. But now they're all afraid of hits to the head. And it's all because of Sidney Crosby."

The kids talk about the two hits to the head that have put Crosby out of action since Jan. 5, one a glancing blow during the New Year's Day Winter Classic when Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins played the Washington Capitals, the second a more direct hit when the Penguins met the Tampa Bay Lightning four days later. The hits had nothing to do with fighting. The hits appeared to have nothing to do with deliberate headhunting.

No hit-to-the-head penalties were called. The hits, in other words, were hits that could happen to anyone – an NHL superstar, an 11-year-old kid in his first year of full-contact hockey.

One of the kids on the Rebels team has even written an essay on hockey hits to the head – the teacher allowed him to pick his own topic – and discovered that the International Ice Hockey Federation, unlike the NHL, penalizes any hit to the head or neck area. ("There is no such thing as a clean hit to the head in IIHF hockey," federation president Rene Fasel says. "The rule really is a no-brainer.") The kids have talked about this. Makes sense to them. They will play in leagues from now on with stricter rules on head hits than the NHL has, but all, it goes without saying, dream of one day playing at the NHL level.

Research on concussions is in its infancy, little understood. However, Dr. Charles Tator, a leading Toronto neurosurgeon who has emerged as the Canadian expert on hockey concussion, told a safety seminar held in Ottawa last week that evidence suggests young brains are more susceptible to injury. There is also a cumulative effect to concussions, suggesting each successive one displays worsening symptoms. If you have a first head injury at 11 or 12, a second or third later on can soon put an end to the dreams one had at 10.

Youngsters dropping out of hockey has long been a concern in the game, but it appears that fear of concussion has heightened matters. At the Ottawa gathering hosted by Reebok-CCM Hockey and the University of Ottawa's Neurotrauma Impact Science Laboratory, Reebok-CCM vice-president Len Rhodes said that there are some 1.6-million players registered in the game – roughly 500,000 each in Canada, the United States and the rest of the hockey world – and growth has flat-lined. Rhodes makes no bones about why his company is getting involved in increased safety research – "Yes, there is something in it for us" – as fear-factor and ugly headlines are having an impact on involvement. The many positives of the game – team values, exercise, simple fun – are being overwhelmed by the negatives, concussion leading the charge.

"I have seen the effects of head injury," Edite Ozols says. "Concussions are a horrible thing. It's nothing like a broken bone that you can repair. It's a hidden injury. You don't just lose your memory, you lose your essence as a person."

She would like to see Hockey Canada consider raising the age of full body contact, something that many others – such as past Canada Safety Council president Emile Therien – have been advocating. Quebec delays full contact another two years, but she would like it raised to a level where the youngsters have largely completed their growth spurts. She knows it's an unrealistic wish, but that doesn't make it an insincere wish.

"I want Markus to have hockey for his teenage years," she says. "It's a good place to be. He's healthy, active, surrounded by good people and good friends and away from the streets and drugs.

"But we just don't know all that much about concussions. We don't know how many hits to the head a body can take. It's a field that is changing so rapidly we can't even imagine what we'll know down the road. There needs to be a culture change. It has to be with the coaches and officials as well as with the players and the parents. We need to protect these youngsters.

"I always said, 'As soon as my son gets even one concussion, that's it.' But I now think that's the wrong approach.

"We need to prevent that first concussion."

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[Dman]

Where the old "egg head" helmets anymore safe than the two piece, light as a feather buckets we have now? (See attached pic) I had one of the Protec helmets like the guy on the left in the photo and it was amazing. The shells were all one size you just changed the padding on the inside. They were hot, but they were light. Unfortunately they were very ugly too. Lots of room for decals though!

————————————
Good picture Dman.
I have read a lot of articles in the Physician and Sports Medicine about football helments. The fact that the helmets are ROUND is the most important feature. This deflects the forces to a greater area instead of in a straight line where the brain crashes into the front of the skull and back. The of Mikita helmet that had a suspension around the head was even better because the helmet moved and diffused the forces to protect the brain.

The worst helmet possible is the kids bike helment with syrafoam on the outside or inside which collapses under pressure and the brain goes in a straight line.

I have 5 players out with concusiions now and I think the helmets with flat surfaces are the cause of a few. (not the one where the player hit her head on the toilet bowl when she fainted in the bathroom. Very few people where a helmet to visit the head)

Attachments

• 

[hockeygod]

Dman wrote:
Where the old "egg head" helmets anymore safe than the two piece, light as a feather buckets we have now? (See attached pic) I had one of the Protec helmets like the guy on the left in the photo and it was amazing. The shells were all one size you just changed the padding on the inside. They were hot, but they were light. Unfortunately they were very ugly too. Lots of room for decals though!

————————————
Good picture Dman.
I have read a lot of articles in the Physician and Sports Medicine about football helments. The fact that the helmets are ROUND is the most important feature. This deflects the forces to a greater area instead of in a straight line where the brain crashes into the front of the skull and back. The of Mikita helmet that had a suspension around the head was even better because the helmet moved and diffused the forces to protect the brain.

The worst helmet possible is the kids bike helment with syrafoam on the outside or inside which collapses under pressure and the brain goes in a straight line.

I have 5 players out with concusiions now and I think the helmets with flat surfaces are the cause of a few. (not the one where the player hit her head on the toilet bowl when she fainted in the bathroom. Very few people where a helmet to visit the head)

OK the setup is there and I have to take it!
——————————————————–

Tom,

Maybe your player(s) should wear their helmets – round or not – to the bathroom! Perhaps at all times when they are away from the rink?!!!
————————————————
Dean, I can't disagree with you. Our affiliate player has a concussion as well.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

The quirky Moose Jaw Civic Centre is closing after 52 years

Cory Wolfe, The StarPhoenix Feb 28, 2011

MOOSE JAW — When architect Joseph Pettick designed the Moose Jaw Civic Centre’s sunken roof, he didn’t intend it to be retractable.

Lorne Molleken swears, however, that he’s seen daylight through the corrugated-metal ceiling.

“It’s held up by cables and when they would move, you could see outside sometimes,” said Molleken, whose first WHL coaching job was with the Moose Jaw Warriors from 1988-91. “I remember being up at the top (of the stands) and when the wind was blowing, you could see daylight.”

Molleken, who now guides the Saskatoon Blades, made his final regular-season visit to the Civic Centre on Saturday. The Warriors will abandon the 52-year-old arena after this season and move into a new downtown arena. City workers plan to transplant the Civic Centre’s ice plant into the new facility following the Warriors’ playoff run. The old rink’s pipes will be drained and civic officials have no intention of turning on the heat next September.

Although the city has invited private-sector proposals for the Civic Centre, demolition seems more likely. All in all, it’s a rather inglorious ending for one of junior hockey’s most recognizable buildings.

“It’s been a special place over the years, but it’s time for a change,” conceded Molleken, whose Blades beat the Warriors 2-1 in a shootout Saturday.

Nicknamed the Crushed Can for obvious reasons, the Civic Centre earned a reputation as one of the WHL’s most intimidating arenas. It seats only 2,705, but few rinks — regardless of size — can match the Civic Centre for noise and atmosphere.

“It’s a great old barn,” said Conrad Vautour, one of the building’s longtime security guards.

Even supporters of the new facility concede that the Civic Centre’s raucous atmosphere will be tough to replicate.

“It can be intimidating for some of the younger players, especially kids from B.C. or Alberta,” said Molleken. “They walk into this rink and say, ‘Holy smokes. What have I gotten myself into?’ It’s intimidating because everything happens quickly here and the fans are right on top of you. It’s a loud, loud building and it’s deep in tradition.”

Jazz great Louis Armstrong headlined the gala opening of the Civic Centre on Sept. 19, 1959. Hockey has been the building’s lifeblood, though, and the concourse walls are plastered with photos of colourfully named characters such as Strap Wells and Beans Clarke, as well as more contemporary stars such as Theoren Fleury.

A young Molleken — wearing a black blazer embroidered with the Warriors’ logo — also shows up in several team photos. Mike Babcock coached there, too, 15 years before guiding the Detroit Red Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup.

The walls don’t advertise, however, that convicted sex offender Graham James was the Warriors’ first head coach when they moved to Moose Jaw from Winnipeg in 1984. During his one season at the helm, James was convicted of common assault after reaching over the Civic Centre glass and hitting a fan with a hockey stick.

That wasn’t the only time that violence has spilled into the stands at the Crushed Can. During one particularly heated battle between the Warriors and the Regina Pats a decade ago, Regina fans attacked the Moose Jaw mascot, Puckhead. Warrior fans vowed vengeance, but Regina mascot K-9 was a healthy scratch the following night because the Pats’ office received phone threats against their canine cheerleader.

Passion has certainly never been a problem at the Civic Centre. Through the 1980s and ’90s, Warriors play-by-play man Rob Carnie hosted a Hot Stove League after each home game. Fans weren’t shy about calling out referees and opponents, as well as their own coaches and players.

“The place was packed and you couldn’t see out because of all the (cigarette) smoke,” recalled Molleken. “When people got a few Molson Canadians under their belts, it got pretty interesting in there some nights after games.”

Engineers probably weren’t counting on hot air from fired-up fans to help heat the seating area. There was a sensible theory behind the building’s U-shaped design, however. Because warm air rises, they believed it would disperse to the upper seating levels while keeping ice level cool.

It’s a plausible theory because the end walls have been known to get mighty frigid.

“I thought they painted the wall,” one scout said during a mid-winter visit in the late 1990s. “Then I realized it was just frost.”

Indeed, the Civic Centre will always remembered for greeting visitors with a chilly reception.
—–

I coached there in the mid-90's after Babcock. That was the coldest winter I have ever experienced… inside the rink and out! My truck didn't start (even when plugged in) for several days that winter; with the snow and cold, traffic wasn't running and people just stayed home. I think it was -70C with the wind chill on many occasions. Numerous practices had to be cancelled and even a few games (later rescheduled) due to weather.

You could see your breath in the coaches office in the basement! We had electric heaters but it wasn't enough. I was never a coffee drinker before the year. I drank a ton of it from the scouts room just to stay warm. I had to wear layers to work; I bought wool underwear (1-piece with the poop flap!) from an army surplus and wore snow pants, a ski jacket, touque and gloves. It was an interesting 5-minute process to go to the can – and even then, you didn't want to leave 'anything' exposed for any longer than necessary!!!! Brutal! At least the dressing room was warm for the players.

That was the coldest (longest, dreariest) year of my life. Weird because when I got there in August for training camp, it was over 30C and was really nice until late September (15C), staying nice through the fall until about the start of November. I guess that's the prairies for you!

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Probert had degenerative brain disease: researchers
Late NHL enforcer played for Detroit, Chicago

The Associated Press Mar 2, 2011

Researchers at Boston University have found a degenerative disease in brain tissue donated by former NHL enforcer Bob Probert.

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy issued a statement Thursday saying that Probert had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died last July of heart failure at age 45.

Probert, who lived in Windsor, Ont., played 16 seasons in the NHL for Detroit and Chicago between 1995-2002. His 3,300 penalty minutes make him fifth on the league's career list.

Probert, who struggled with drinking problems during his career, is the second hockey player from the Boston University program to be diagnosed with the disease after death. The other was Reggie Fleming, a 1960s enforcer who played before helmets became mandatory.

Details of Probert's brain tissue analysis won't be made public until they are reviewed by an academic medical journal, the centre said in its statement, but the Probert family requested that the CTE diagnosis be made public to raise awareness of the danger of brain trauma in sports.

"This is what he wanted," Probert's widow, Dani Probert, told CBC Windsor's Early Shift radio program. "This is why he wanted to donate his brain, and I'm definitely proud of the fact that he's a part of this study, and to get more information."

Dr. Robert Cantu, co-director of the Boston University program, said it's difficult to determine exactly what caused the damage to Probert's brain tissue.

"How much is the hockey and how much is the fighting, we don't really know," Cantu told the New York Times for a story posted on its website Wednesday night. "We haven't definitely established that the skills of hockey as a sport lead to a certain percentage of participants developing CTE. But it can happen to hockey players, and while they're still relatively young."

GMs to further discuss head contact

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy is a collaboration between Boston University Medical School and the Sports Legacy Institute that is attempting to address the "concussion crisis" in sports. The group has been at the forefront of research into head trauma in sports, and has received a $1 million US gift from the NFL, which it has pushed for better treatment of concussions.

The family of former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson agreed to donate his brain to the study after he committed suicide last month at age 50.

"We are only beginning to appreciate the consequences of brain trauma in sports," said Chris Nowinski, one of the founders of the Sports Legacy Institute. "Early evidence indicated that the historical decision not to discourage contact to the head was an enormous mistake, and we hope aggressive change continue to be made to protect athletes, especially at the youth level."

Although the NHL has instituted a new rule making blindside lateral hits to the head illegal, and the league's general managers will discuss later this month whether further contact to the head should be banned, fighting has long been a major part of the pro game.

There have been no signs that the NHL is interested in changing or eliminating that popular aspect of the sport.

"The findings are interesting and certainly something we'll add to a much broader body of knowledge," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an email. "But we're not going to react or make changes based on findings related to one player, especially when it's impossible to identify or isolate one of many variables that may have factored into the conclusions reached, and when there is no real 'control group' to compare his results to.

"The diagnosis of CTE in Probert's brain is not necessarily an indictment of hockey, as he received brain trauma during hockey fights as well as outside of sports, including a major car accident," Nowinski said. "Reggie Fleming, the only other NHL player diagnosed with CTE, also was an enforcer, so we need further study before this research can truly inform that ongoing, and important, debate."

Fleming died in 2009 with dementia, after 30 years of worsening behavioural and cognitive difficulties.

Dani Probert said her husband showed a mental decline in his 40s, and displayed new and growing problems with short-term memory, attention and a short temper. Those are all symptoms consistent with those of other athletes with CTE.

During the last year of Probert's life, Dani Probert said her husband told her he thought he had three or four "significant concussions." But when talking about "getting his bell rung," which the institute says is a concussion by definition, Probert told his wife that his total jumped to "over a dozen."

"In my heart of hearts, I don't believe fighting is what did this to Bob," Dani Probert told the New York Times. "It was hockey — all the checking and hits, things like that."

Nowinski said last month more than 300 athletes, including 100 current and former NFL players, are on the CSTE's brain donation registry. There are 65 cases currently being studied. The CSTE "brain bank" currently has 68 specimens.
30 of 40 brains show CTE signs

Dr. Ann McKee, the co-director of the CTSE, which it says is the largest brain bank in the world, has analyzed the brains of 40 former athletes and found that more than 30 showed signs of CTE. That includes 13 of 14 former NFL players, college and high school football players, hockey players, pro wrestlers and boxers.

CTE, originally referred to as "dementia pugilistica" because it was thought to only affect boxers, is a progressive brain disease believed to be caused by repetitive trauma to the brain, including concussions or subconcussive blows.

It also is believed that other undetermined factors, such as genetic predisposition, put some people at greater risk of developing the disease.

Keith Primeau, a former hockey all-star who was forced to retire in 2006 because of concussions during a 15-season NHL career, is among those who have decided to donate their brains.

Primeau and Probert were Red Wings teammates for four seasons.

"Hockey continues to make positive steps to protect players from concussion and brain trauma," he said. "I hope the findings from the study of my friend, Bob Probert, will accelerate that momentum throughout all levels of the game."

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

How can concussion problem in hockey be fixed?

CBC SPORTS.ca Elliotte Friedman * October 25, 2010

It was a nationally televised U.S. college football game between Texas Christian and Southern Methodist. TCU's star running back, Ed Wesley, fell on his head after a tackle and was knocked out.

The team physician, Dr. Samuel Haraldson, told The American Medical News what happened next.

"[Wesley] was knocked unconscious, and any loss of consciousness is automatically considered a concussion. He had an unsteady gait and a few memory problems."

According to NCAA rules, once a player is diagnosed with a concussion, he is not allowed to return.

"Then five or six plays later," Dr. Haraldson added, "I literally was verbally accosted by the coach, screaming at me insanely at the top of his lungs that he doesn't think [Wesley] has a concussion and what right do I have to hold him out."

Days later, the coach, Gary Patterson, told ESPN, "As far as I'm concerned, he was fine 10 minutes after he got hurt."

The good news is that more of us are realizing that kind of thinking is beyond moronic. The bad news is that we've still got a ways to go.

Philadelphia Eagles Kevin Kolb and Stewart Bradley ignored concussions in Week 1 of this NFL season. Ian Laperriere and Marc Savard tried to play through them in last spring's Stanley Cup playoffs.

Savard needed more rest: Dr. Cantu

Dr. Robert Cantu, author of 23 books about brain trauma, believes Savard would be playing now if he'd rested last spring. (Dr. Cantu has an autographed "thank you" picture in his office from Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron.) savard-marc-100307.jpgAnd that's why another doctor told Hockey Night in Canada that he wants to see more concussions – for now.

His name is Dr. Ruben Echemendia.

The NHL went to him and Dr. Mark Lovell in 1997, asking them to establish the neuropsychological – or "baseline" – test that helps monitor concussion symptoms. It allows teams to get a better handle on when a player is truly recovered.

This was his first-ever TV interview.

The NHL is averaging 75 recognized concussions per season since the lockout, down from a high of 109 in 2000-01. This year's total is poised to smash the record.

When I asked Dr. Echemendia if he had a target number he wanted to drop to, he blew me away by saying he wanted to see the total increase in the short term.

"It sounds counter-intuitive, but the reason I say that is that means we have more awareness. We know that we're doing our job when the rate of concussions increases. But, if we start seeing an increase in the severity of the concussions, or a longer duration of the symptoms, then I would certainly be concerned."

Is that happening?

"Not in our league," he said, which seems surprising, considering high-profile cases like Willie Mitchell, David Booth, Savard, Laperriere and Paul Kariya. "We're seeing lesser and lesser symptom burdens. Because we're evaluating them earlier… their symptoms don't last as long."

Here is the total number of man-games lost due to concussions in that past four seasons:

2006-07 – 615
2007-08 – 548
2008-09 – 487
2009-10 – 407

Can't imagine that number dropping again this season, with almost 20 concussions so far. Plus, Kariya and Laperriere will miss 164 between them.

Teenagers push for early return

After really thinking about it and talking to a few players, I can understand where Dr. Echemendia is coming from. The hockey (and football) mentality is tough. No one likes to miss games when it really matters. (I wrote here that if I was Laperriere, I probably would have done the same thing.) That's not limited to professionals. Dr. Echemendia says he sees 13-year-olds who try to convince him to return too early.

But it does have to change if there's to be a decrease. That's going to be very hard.

It is impossible to do justice on this topic in a six-minute television feature.

Some other things I learned while compiling my report:

• Dr. Cantu on fighting: "With enforcers who've had a lot of fights, roughly one in four fights, they'll take a blow that stuns them – in essence a concussion. They'll go the penalty box, put their five minutes in and then, when they come back to the bench, they won't acknowledge that they've been concussed. So we really find a high incidence of concussions happening, roughly 20-25 per cent of the time." Think Derek Engelland-Colton Orr. In the symposium held last week at the Mayo Clinic, only six per cent of concussions were linked to fighting. If Dr. Cantu is right – and I have no reason to believe he's wrong – that number is way off.

• There were 300 diagnosed concussions in the NHL between 1997-2004. Baseline testing showed that in 30 per cent of them, players who thought they were recovered still had symptoms. And it's not that anyone believes they're lying, it's just that they don't realize it until pushed by a test.

• If there is one crack in the baseline exam, it's that there is no accepted method of testing a player's balance on skates. Both doctors say that measuring balance is an important part of determining a full recovery.

• Players from certain countries tend to downplay any kind of head trauma. So, if they come to the bench/room complaining about wooziness, etc., teams are told to be very careful. (the doctor wouldn't tell me which countries).

• Only 25 per cent of the hits that caused concussions involved players who had the puck. Of the rest, the vast majority (76 per cent) came within half a second of the victim releasing the puck. This is the tough one for the NHL. The league still considers that possession, because the game moves so quickly. Any contact to the head after half a second is when you get in trouble, which is why Shane Doan got three games for hitting Dan Sexton. (It might be a good idea to have any contact after half a second be grounds for suspension, so Erik Cole can't get away with what he did to Drew Doughty).

• Last year, there were almost 55,000 hits made in NHL games. The year before the lockout, there were 38,831. That's an increase of 40 per cent.

• Most concussions occur in the first period. Dr. Echemendia's believes it's because teams come out hard at the start of a game, wanting to set the physical tone.

• The real danger area is in women's hockey, especially at the college level. There are several theories, but two stand out. First, since there is theoretically no hitting allowed, the players are not taught to properly protect themselves from contact. Second, as Cassie Campbell-Pascall points out, most teams don't travel with anyone qualified to diagnose a concussion.

• In football, first-stringers go through hundreds of head hits a year, including practice. There are fewer in hockey, but the force of those collisions is much greater because of the speed at impact.

Game-changer

The Mike Richards hit on Booth was the game-changer. "That's when the attitude amongst GMs really turned," said one NHL executive.

But has it turned enough? Mitchell had a really interesting quote when asked about Rick Rypien getting into a physical altercation with a fan last week.

"My opinion is that everyone has made a big issue out of this and I think there's other things that are going on in our game that are much more severe, whether it's headshots — and I keep going back to that – and the lack of action on that," Mitchell told The Los Angeles Times. "It's something we've seen the NFL start to do and hopefully our league follows suit. The game's faster, guys are bigger, it would be nice to see if they protected the players a little more."

The GMs broke down 22 randomly selected games from last season. Every hit to the head – no matter how innocent – was noted. Here's what they learned: 62 per cent of them came along the boards, 38 per cent in open ice. What connected with the head? Well, 40 per cent of the time, it was the hands. Next: 30 per cent from the shoulder, 15 per cent from the elbow, 13 per cent stick and two per cent other helmets/knees.

Here's the problem: no one can agree on how severe head contact should be to call a penalty. There's been call for a zero-tolerance policy, but the GMs looked at all of the incidental contact and said, "We're going to throw out guys for that?" Even Dr. Cantu, who said in the piece, "I think that, eventually, all head checks need to be eliminated," admitted there are mitigating factors.

When I played devil's advocate, asking about the speed of the game and the differing heights of players leading to accidental head shots, he said that he was talking about situations where the head was targeted and it could be left to the discretion of the referees.

Of course, retired referee Kerry Fraser, who joined Ron MacLean in studio immediately after our Inside Hockey piece, completely disagrees. It just shows how little consensus there is.

How do we fix the problem? I like the idea of stiffer suspensions for those who do target the head.

Brad May thinks some degree of interference must be allowed back in the game. That adds even more subjectivity to the rulebook, but is that the answer?

Can we remove concussions from hockey?

"No," says Dr. Echemendia, shaking his head. "When you have players that size and that speed playing the game, you're not going to get rid of concussions. It's not going to happen unless we fundamentally change the game in such a way that you won't recognize it."

That's the big question for everyone: fans, media, players and execs. We love the way the game is played. We're all concerned about the head injuries. What's our choice?

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Concussions are not solely a problem in hockey…

Vonn case shows concussion culture must change

CBC SPORTS.ca Kelly Vanderbeek * February 10, 2011

At what point do we say enough is enough?

I understand that the culture of sport is to tough it out, and nowhere is this more the case than in alpine skiing, where minor surgeries are barely a by-line on injury lists.

But the brain is different. This is where I draw the line as an athlete, and as someone who plans to use my brain long after my knees, shoulders and back have given out. I know I'll survive long beyond my sporting career (bum knee and all) because I have a head on my shoulders. Sport isn't worth putting that at danger.

This is why I'm a bit angry right now.

Lindsey Vonn, the most famous women's alpine skier, admitted to experiencing concussion symptoms in an interview with EuroSport on Tuesday, an hour before hurtling herself down the super-G course in the world championships in Garmish-Partenkirchen, Germany. After the race, Vonn admitted she felt like she was "skiing in a fog".

And for what? A chance at a world title? Who are your handlers? If these symptoms you mentioned are true, who in their right mind would clear you to race? (Plus, there's no such thing as "concussion-like symptoms". If you have symptoms, you have a concussion!)

This makes me question whether the symptoms mentioned are real. However, I expect that her symptoms are very real and that worries me. I worry not only for the athletes' well being (it's their choice to take such risks) but the culture it continues to feed; a culture where concussions are overlooked and athletes feel unwilling to admit and properly deal with brain injuries.

Changes slow to come

Maybe it seem unfair to point the finger at any single athlete, and for that I apologize, but change must come. This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable. Even if an athlete is willing to risk another concussion (as most athletes are in their drive to impress and maintain tough appearances), support staff should never allow it.

Concussions are a huge topic as sports like hockey, football and alpine try to shift their cultures and perceptions so that players, coaches, and doctors alike feel safe in properly assessing concussion and addressing them. Let's be honest – enough information has been available about concussions and their possible long-term effects to have caused fundamental shift in sport over a decade ago. However, the debate rages on and changes are slow to come.

I'm happy to say that Alpine Canada has been at the forefront of properly handling concussions throughout my 11 years with the team. I'm glad to know that I can trust my organization to protect my noggin, but it seems like other athletes aren't so lucky.

Although I know I'd be a better ski racer if I stopped using my brain so much, I'd still like to have it available for later use.

We need changes in alpine skiing to better address the health and safety of the athletes across the board. Concussions are just one part, but they're a key part and a good place to start.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Concussions: What to watch for

Concussions are injuries to the brain, caused by a blow to the head. The symptoms are varied and you should not return to play until all symptoms have resolved themselves.

By CBC News February 20, 2011

Concussions, head shots, cheap blows. There's been a lot of talk in pro sports lately of doing something to cut down on the number of injuries that occur in games played by very large, very strong and very talented athletes – especially in hockey and football.

Yet, in 2010, two of the highest profile athletes to miss significant chunks of the season were Canadians in a mostly-American game: baseball: Jason Bay of the New York Mets and Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins.

Bay missed the last two months of the season after his head bashed into the left-field wall while he made a running catch at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in late July. Two weeks earlier, Morneau slid hard into second base during a game in Toronto, colliding with the shortstop.

Both players made what are considered good plays: Bay was able to hang on to the ball for the final out of the inning and Morneau's hard slide impeded Toronto's shortstop in his effort to throw out the runner going to first base. And in both incidents, the players – while apparently momentarily dazed – were able to get to their feet and walk off the field. "Always a good sign," as the announcer says at the end of the video of Morneau's incident posted on the official site of Major League Baseball.

Both players were out for the rest of the season because of ongoing symptoms of concussion.

What is a concussion?

A concussion is an injury to the brain resulting from a blow to the head. Your brain is protected from everyday bumps and jolts by the cerebrospinal fluid that it floats in, inside your skull. A hard enough jolt, though, causes your brain to smack into your skull.

Most people don't black out when they suffer a concussion. In fact, they may feel little more than a bit dazed at first and – like Jason Bay and Justin Morneau – be able to get up and walk away with little sign of injury.

A concussion is the mildest form of traumatic brain injury. In medical parlance, traumatic is used to indicate "sudden" as opposed to "chronic" which develops over a long period of time.

What are the symptoms of concussion?

Classic concussion symptoms include confusion and amnesia, especially of the event that caused the concussion.

Other immediate symptoms may include:

* Headache.
* Dizziness.
* Ringing in the ears.
* Nausea or vomiting.
* Slurred speech.
* Fatigue.

Other symptoms may show up in the days and weeks following the incident. They include:

* Memory or concentration problems.
* Sensitivity to light and noise.
* Sleep disturbances.
* Irritability.
* Depression.

Like any head injury, it is important to watch the patient closely for 24 hours. If the patient loses consciousness often or has trouble waking up, you should seek immediate medical attention.

What should I look for if I suspect my child has suffered a concussion?

Kids can be particularly at risk for concussion – even if they're not involved in sports. Falling off a couch or bumping into a table could provide enough of a blow to cause a concussion. Watch for:

* Listlessness, easy to tire.
* Irritability, crankiness.
* A change in eating or sleeping patterns.
* A lack of interest in favourite toys.
* A loss of balance or unsteady walking.

You should seek medical attention if your child loses consciousness, suffers a seizure, vomits repeatedly, has a headache that keeps getting worse, or has lasting or recurrent dizziness.

What is post-concussion syndrome?

It's when a combination of concussion symptoms persist for weeks or months after the injury that caused the concussion. They can persist for a year or more in some people.

It's unclear why the symptoms persist. Some experts believe the event that caused the concussion does structural damage to the brain or disrupts neurotransmitter systems. Others believe the syndrome is related to psychological factors, especially since the most common symptoms – including headache, dizziness and sleep difficulties – are similar to those of people suffering from depression.

When is it safe to resume activity after a concussion?

Definitely not on the same day the concussion is suffered. Beyond that, it depends.

Six stages of return to play

1. Physical and mental rest until symptoms are gone.
2. Light aerobic exercise (e.g. stationary cycle).
3. Sport-specific exercise.
4. Non-contact training drills (start light resistance training).
5. Full contact training after medical clearance.
6. Return to competition.

The Second International Symposium on Sport Concussion, held in Prague in 2004, led to the creation of the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT2). It's a standardized tool that medical professionals can use to diagnose athletes – and athlete can use to help determine if they're suffering from a concussion and whether they're ready to resume activity.

SCAT2 includes six steps to take before an athlete should return to play, with at least 24 hours for each stage. However, if symptoms recur, the athlete should return to the first stage. The New York Mets report that Jason Bay has been symptom-free since December, when he resumed working out. He's expected to be at full strength when the baseball season opens in April.

As for Justin Morneau? The Minnesota Twins say he continues to make good progress and has been hitting, fielding and throwing. But they won't know whether he's over his post-concussion issues until he starts playing in games during training camp later this month.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

WHy is this guy still earning a paycheque in hockey? Because somebody is willing to pay him. This speaks to the Old Boys mindset that continues to exist in hockey. Sad. Get these one-dimensional players out in favour of skilled guys…

THE DREGER REPORT

Check THE DREGER REPORT each weekday morning for 'The Three Things You Need To Know' for the day in the National Hockey League from TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. Darren's reports are posted here at about 11am et/8am pt.

Updated: Thursday, March 03, 2011

1) New York Islanders forward Trevor Gillies is a loyal and well liked teammate. But that doesn't excuse his reckless behavior Wednesday night, nor are his intentions expected to carry much weight in Friday's in-person discipline hearing with the NHL.

Gillies crushed Minnesota's Cal Clutterbuck head first into the glass following Clutterbuck's hit on New York's Justin DiBenedetto.

Clutterbuck receieved a boarding penalty for his hit, while Gillies, in his first game back from a nine-game suspension for his role in last month's debacle with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was assessed a checking from behind major and was tossed from the game.

While Islanders coach Jack Capuano questioned the legitimacy of the penalty, the post-hit reaction has been largely one sided – favouring severe punishment.

The hit on Clutterbuck is similar to the hit on Pittsburgh's Eric Tangradi and can be described as non-hockey play where the head is targeted out of retribution. The Islanders will argue that with the support of video replay, the point of initial impact was the shoulder and not the head and it was Gillies' follow-through with his left hand that made contact with Clutterbuck's head.

It's hard to predict the length of any suspension, but given his recent history, Gillies will probably sit for a long time.

Had Clutterbuck been injured, some believe Gillies' season would have been over.

At age 32 on a two-way contract ($75,000 AHL/$500,000 NHL), fighting for NHL survival, it's easy to say Trevor Gillies should know better – that's common sense. However, Gillies' history in hockey proves he's fought for survival his entire career.

Dating back to 1995-96, the year Gillies began his junior career with the OHL's North Bay Centennials, the rugged and often troubled tough guy has scored a total of 16 goals.

That's Sixteen goals and 47 assists for 63 points in 775 hockey games in various leagues, including the Ontario Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League, American Hockey League, and of course, the NHL.

Conversely, over that same span, Gillies has amassed over 3,300 penalty minutes. (3,302 to be exact).

Gillies' road to Long Island has been a grind, but incidents like Wednesday night's, or the part he played in the mayhem against Pittsburgh, aren't endearing him to NHL managers who respect his role and determination to make it to this level.

With a contract that expires at the end of the season, Gillies may be playing on borrowed time.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Here's another 'winner' who should also be tossed out of hockey:

Attack on Golden Bears captain investigated

By Nathan Liewicki, edmontonjournal.com February 28, 2011

EDMONTON — The Canada West Universities Athletic Association is looking into the incident where University of Alberta Golden Bears captain Eric Hunter left the ice at UBC’s Thunderbird Arena on Friday night bloodied and concussed.

UBC forward Michael Liambas punched Hunter in the head and drove him into the ice after Hunter tripped Liambas late in the second period.

Hunter wasn’t penalized, but Liambas received 17 minutes in penalties, including an instigator, which carries an automatic two-game ban. Canada West executive director Val Schneider said the association is still looking at the incident.

“The individual has been suspended for two games and it’s subject to further review,” Schneider said, referring to Liambas.

Canada West men’s hockey convenor Bill Seymour said that a committee will meet to discuss whether a harsher discipline will be handed out to the Woodbridge, Ont., native. Liambas sat out UBC’s regular-season finale on Saturday, but because UBC failed to qualify for the playoffs, Seymour said there is no need to rush a decision.

“I’ve spoken with both athletic directors, coaches and referees,” Seymour said. “We’ve started the process and we’re going to do what’s best for our league.”

Both coaches were unable to be reached for comment, but before any possible changes to Canada West hockey, Seymour said the conference’s first concern is the health of Hunter.

Still, Seymour is very perturbed with the way he feels the media has swarmed to the idea that Canada West hockey has a violent side.

“I’m upset our game is being dragged down,” Seymour said. “We’re being black-balled here and I’m angry we’re getting dragged all over the fricking country.”

This was not the first questionable incident involving Liambas. In October 2009, the former Erie Otter was suspended for the rest of the Ontario Hockey League season after slamming then 16-year-old Kitchener Rangers defenceman Ben Fanelli into the boards. Fanelli suffered skull and facial fractures and still has not been medically cleared to return to game action for Kitchener.

In 124 career OHL games, Liambas totalled 357 penalty minutes.

Two months later, while playing with the Bloomington Prairie Thunder of the International Hockey League, Liambas received a five-game suspension for a hit from behind on Muskegon Lumberjacks defenceman Jason Lawmaster. The hit sent Lawmaster to the hospital with a ruptured spleen.

The Bears are home to the Manitoba Bisons in conference semifinal action this weekend, but the availability of Hunter — 10 goals and 13 assists in 25 games this season — to lace up his skates is uncertain.

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

—–

'Character player' defended after retaliatory punch

By Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun February 28, 2011

UBC Thunderbirds forward Michael Liambas, a player who was thrown out of the Ontario Hockey League last season for a dangerous hit, was involved in another incident Friday against the Alberta Golden Bears that left Bears captain Eric Hunter with facial cuts and concussionlike symptoms.

Liambas was suspended for two games with the second game carrying over to next year as the T-Birds' season ended Saturday.

They did not make the Canda West playoffs.

According to T-Birds head coach Milan Dragicevic, Liambas punched Hunter from the side in retaliation for a spear to the groin. Dragicevic said the UBC program does not condone Liambas's actions but emphasized it was not a Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore type incident.

Liambas received two minutes for instigating, five for fighting and a game misconduct.

"There was no pre-meditation," Dragicevic explained Sunday. "Our player got speared, there was no call and he retaliated. That's what happened. The two players were jostling, they were skating together, side-by-side and Mike dropped his gloves. Their player got knocked to his knees, both players dropped their gloves, there was a tussle and then they were separated.

"Their player skated off on his own and, from accounts, he had a concussion. He sat out Saturday's game for precautionary reasons."

Dragicevic called Liambas 'a character player' and said he is welcome to continue playing for the Thunderbirds. This was Liambas's first year in the program. He is studying human kinetics. The 22-yearold Toronto native finished last season in the International League where, at one point, he received a five-game suspension for a hit that ruptured an opponent's spleen. He was earlier kicked out of the OHL for a hit that fractured the skull of Kitchener's Ben Fanelli.

Dragicevic doesn't feel this latest incident should be viewed as a stain on the UBC hockey program.

"We don't condone what Mike Liambas did to Eric Hunter," said Dragicevic. "That's an action on the ice that nobody is going to condone. However, as a person, Mike Liambas is someone who has character, grit, leadership qualities, volunteers in the community and does a lot of outside activities that don't necessarily get recognized.

"We want Mike Liambas back. He had an 87-per-cent average coming out of high school and was an honours student. Those players are had to find. Sometimes the perception out there is not right. We support Mike Liambas as a person 100 per cent and we are going to support him through this as well."

Dragicevic, who has coached the T-Birds for nine seasons, said he has witnessed incidents worse than the one that went down Friday night.

"I've seen eye-gouging and hair-pulling," he noted.

"It's not the first time a player has retaliated and gotten suspended for it. It happens. Right or wrong, quick decisions are made on the ice and sometimes they are not the right decisions. Maybe Michael Liambas has to control his emotions a little bit more on the ice but, as a person, you're not going to find a more outstanding individual."
—–

Thunderbirds lose Liambas

Seeking pro position

By Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun March 3, 2011

Controversial forward Michael Liambas, who has a history of violence on the ice, has left the UBC Thunderbirds hockey program after just one season. Liambas, 22, was involved in another incident last Friday against the Alberta Golden Bears in which he injured Bears captain Eric Hunter in an altercation.

Some reports called it an attack while UBC head coach Milan Dragicevic claimed Liambas instigated a fight with Hunter, punching him in the head from the side, after being speared in the groin.

Liambas received two minutes for instigating, five for fighting and a game misconduct. He was subsequently suspended for two games, pending a further investigation. Hunter suffered facial cuts and concussion-like symptoms in the incident.

"Michael has decided to leave UBC and pursue professional hockey," Dragicevic confirmed Wednesday, offering no further comment.

Last season, Liambas was thrown out of the Ontario Hockey League for fracturing the skull of Kitchener's Ben Fanelli. He then went to the International League where he was suspended five games for rupturing an opponent's spleen.

UBC did not make the Canada West playoffs and its season ended Saturday. The Golden Bears play this weekend and it is not yet known whether Hunter will be cleared to play. Liambas is apparently pursuing pro opportunities in the East Coast League.

epap@vancouversun.com
—–

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

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