Update on Savard

While not so much an update on him, I do have to say that the press conference was held today, and he is out indefinitely. On a personal level, watching the Bruins blow that 3-0 series lead last year was amazing. However, watching anyone's career get cut short by injury isn't cool. especially concussions because they really can puck you up for life.

Having said that, I must now turn my attention to the league. Something has to be done about returning players prematurely from head injuries. As even Savard himself said "I've had knee issues and stuff like that, you come back a little early but you just play through it, I guess with your brain and your head I learned that probably wasn't the best thing to do." Ok, while this seems like a no-brainer (no pun intended. seriously), there is still a lot to be learned about the brain. We all say we know our own bodies, and i won't begrudge that fact for anyone. you know how you feel better than any doctors. However, brain injuries are far different than messing up your shoulder or your knee.
The league has taken the right steps in increasing disciplinary action against blindside hits to the head, which is most certainly good. I'll admit it's fun to watch sometimes, but when you see a guy laid out by a cheap shot, it takes away from the game. But, regardless of increased penalties against the hitters, what about the victims of their hits? While I'm far from a league insider so I can't say what actually happens in the workings of the league or teams, it appears that there is little education about concussions for the players. Each person heals differently so it's hard to say that a grade 2 concussion is 8-10 weeks recovery time. It's not like a broken bone which has an approximate heal time for everyone.
If not the league, than the Players Association has to step up and educate their members about the dangers of concussions and trying to come back too soon. Despite how much we as fans love the game, at the end of the day it's still a business. It's a business and its players are its assets. Without players, you won't be successful. No one wants to pay a guy to sit, but would you rather pay a guy for a short term gain, with a potentially crippling long term loss? For me, i'd rather see the players protected than rushed back. Now I know that it's not the owners/gm's forcing injured players back out onto the ice, as these players genuinely love the game and want to be out there, but they need to know how foolish it can be. Not just for their career, but their lives.

But hey, maybe they can always start a punch drunk hockey league