From the WHL all through minor hockey, concussion awareness has become a big issue in the sport in recent years. (Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Concussion Awareness In Hockey

Concussion conversation shifts with times in hockey

Sep 27, 2021 | 10:34 AM

With seasons beginning in every hockey league from the professional to the peewee ranks, the Saskatchewan government is drawing attention to concussions with Concussion Awareness Day on Wednesday, September 29. More than any other injury, the conversation around concussions and understanding of them has changed dramatically in recent years.

Where before a suck-it-up attitude prevailed in the sport, players are being told more and more to look after the health of their brain. Coaches, meanwhile, are being told more and more to make sure kids aren’t rushing back to game action when they’re not ready.

“I remember when I was in junior, you’d get an injury, shake it off and get back out there,” said Prince Albert Raiders Head Coach Marc Habscheid. “Now, it’s totally different and thank god it is. Things have evolved in concussions.”

Habscheid’s junior career began in 1979 and his professional career carried into the mid-90s. The shift in attitude toward concussions has been gradual, and didn’t really take off until he was behind the bench as a coach.

“There are strict regulations involved and enforcement, and well there should be,” Habscheid said. “We are playing a game, you want to make sure everyone is healthy playing this game.”

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The players in Habscheid’s charge are young men with developing brains, sometimes as young as 16 years old. For coaches like Tim Leonard of the U18 AAA Prince Albert Mintos, who deal with even younger players, the importance of keeping an eye on possibly concussed players is paramount.

“Guys that played back in the day never wanted to get out of the lineup because they might not get back in,” Leonard said. “They didn’t really tell anyone they were having headaches and stuff, which was a mistake. Now, I think the awareness is out there on how serious it is. We tell our kids, if there’s something going on, we need to know about it.”

When it comes to actually spotting a concussion, the science has gotten more exact, though it’s not always easy to diagnose it from the bench. Asking a player where they are or if they remember what the score is are among the first tools a coach has, then pupil dilation and movement come into play. And if after a game a player is diagnosed with a concussion, it’s not a matter of jumping right back into action.

“You’re looking at a week at least,” Leonard said. “But then again, they’ve got to check all the boxes before they come back. It’s something we take seriously.”

The Mintos began their season over the weekend and the Raiders will officially begin theirs on Oct. 1.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP