Concussions. Over the past couple seasons, they have become a glaring problem for NHL goalies. In a story on TSN.CA yesterday, some startling statistics were revealed. “Last season, 13 goaltenders sustained 15 diagnosed concussions – as confirmed by their NHL teams and reported by local media sources. That’s the exact same number as the previous three seasons combined.”
Corey Crawford is about to come back after missing 53 games due to a concussion. That’s the longest absence for a goaltender attributed to the head injury. Matt Murray missed a couple games this season already, as well as suffering from one last season.
As a kid, I’m sure I had a couple. Back then, equipment was much less protective. I used a Cooper SK2000 with HM-50 mask (think Dominik Hasek, and you’ll get the picture). I have never blacked out from a shot to the head, but definitely a few starbursts. Back then, we were mostly encouraged to skate it off or answer some basic questions to make sure we were okay. “You just got your bell rung,” was a common refrain I would hear. I’d take a drink of water, skate in the corner for a few seconds before resuming the game.
While the other pieces of goaltending equipment have gone through radical changes in design and protection capabilities, masks have largely stayed the same for a number of years now. Masks are subjected to some simple testing to be certified, which hasn’t kept up with the advancements in player sticks and shooting techniques. Also, the ever-changing techniques that goalies employ put their head more into active shooting ranges, resulting in more glancing or side impact blows, which masks are less designed to handle.
Goalie equipment has been under scrutiny the past few years. Hopefully this trend is raising alarms not just at the NHL level, but across the spectrum of youth leagues as well. Better testing, new design and safety options are needed to address this and soon. The last thing we want is for an NHL career to come to an early end before something changes.