Rule 48

Illegal Check to the Head – A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact is not permitted.

        Wayne Gretzky likes Rule 48. Don Cherry says Rule 48 is unnecessary. For this hockey fan it's a good rule. Rule 48 was instituted by the National Hockey League this year in an attempt to cut down on concussions and other head injuries.
        Unfortunately, the new rule has not stemmed the tide of head injuries haunting this league. The tide is rising. In the last month alone there have been three high profile incidents. One of which has put the NHL's top star, Sidney Crosby, on the shelf. Crosby will miss the NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh on Jan. 30.
        The NHL is not alone. The National Football League has been investigating it's own increase in head related injuries for quite some time now. Both leagues are looking for answers to a problem that didn't exist 20 years ago... or did it?
        In my opinion, the frequency of head injuries in hockey and football is probably not new. What is new is the fact that modern medicine has made it possible to accurately diagnose these injuries. In the 1960's, 70's and 80's players were getting corked just as hard as players are now but what we now recognize as a concussion was written off as "getting your bell rung". I would not be surprised to find out that the number of undiagnosed concussions from previous eras of sport number in the hundreds of thousands.
        I'm not trying to say that this isn't a big deal, because it is a big deal. The NHL and NFL should be taking steps to protect their players but this isn't something that is ever really going to be resolved. These are contact sports and as such will always incur a high risk of injury. It's a risk that every player who laces up a pair of skates (or cleats) assumes when they play these sports.
        Not all head injuries are the result of a foul act. There isn't always a Steve Downie or Tom Kostopoulos there to fine and suspend, although when there is those things should happen. A body in motion generates force (energy) and when two bodies in motion come into contact that force has to go somewhere, absorbed as impact.
        Keep putting together exploratory committees and review boards. Tweak the rules to maximize player safety without stripping away the identity of the game. We fans will keep watching and the critics will keep whining.
        And somewhere in-between all the action I'll be watching Coach's Corner on CBC's Hockey Night In Canada.
        GAME ON