“…[T]his is so important an issue that if we can possibly avoid just one concussion, we should do this,” the National Hockey League (NHL) for operations spokesperson has gone on record saying.

This comes in the wake of the NHL working to change league rules about headshots that blindside players and give them massive brain damage, writes The Montreal Gazette.  The NHL is working to change the rules during this season, a move that has never been done prior, but one felt necessary since Mark Savard got hurt earlier this year.

Our firm’s brain injury lawyers in San Diego think that this rule should have been implemented much sooner and before a player received a personal injury, but they are happy that safety precautions are being taken to prevent sports injuries to the head from happening.

Irreversible brain damage has long been associated with head injuries during hockey matches, yet they have been a legal, in-game way of playing defense on the ice and the violence of hockey has long been a draw of the sport’s fans.  However, 91% of fans are in support of a stricter league rules according to a recent poll.

This all comes in the wake of Marc Savard, center for the Boston Bruins, took a hit to the head by Pittsburg’s Matt Cooke, leaving him with a concussion and a mild case of amnesia.  In accordance with the concussion grading scale, Savard had experienced a grade two concussion, causing him to blackout and lose some memories.

Savard had to be escorted off the court in a stretcher and spend several days in the hospital recovering from the blow.  No punishment was dealt to Cooke for his knock to Savard’s head, but NHL officials are looking to change that rule to make sure that blindsiding headshots are discouraged in the future.

General managers proposed a new rule to the NHL that would exercise not just a penalty to a player responsible for a headshot, but an automatic review of the player for similar shots in the past.  Now, the NHL is deciding whether or not to implement such a rule into the game, but it appears as though they are in support of rule and are preparing to execute it into the rule books very soon.

Our firm’s San Diego brain injury attorneys are glad to see this rule come into effect and fully support any other changes to all sports that would reduce the chances of players intentionally trying to cause others brain injuries.

If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury from something caused by someone else, we urge you to contact our bilingual offices in San Diego as soon as possible following the accident at 1-858-551-2090 or please click here for a FREE consultation with an experienced brain injury attorney.  We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe nothing until we recover money on your behalf.