Will NHL’s Concussion Plan Work?

Head shots have been a big part of the NHL's hot topics for a few years, but perhaps it took the spotlight of Sidney Crosby's two-months-and-counting concussion issues for the NHL's big wigs to give it the merit that it truly deserves. While a certain percentage of responsibility still remains with the NHLPA and the notion of respect among its constituents, there's no doubt that the game plays faster and harder than ever before. Even on the open forums of message boards and talk radio, there was even the discussion of slowing the game down just a notch.

Think about that: slowing the game down instead of speeding it up. When have we ever heard that before?

The big result, of course, from the NHL's general managers meetings was the new five-point plan:

1) An evaluation of equipment led by Brendan Shanahan.
2) A revamp of the medical policy when a player takes a hit to the head.
3) Enhanced standards of enforcement, especially for repeat offenders.
4) An "engineering review" of the facilities (glass, boards, stations, etc.)
5) A think tank of Shanahan, Rob Blake, Steve Yzerman, and Joe Nieuwendyk to review relevant topics.

There had been some talk of creating a rule to ban hits to the head completely, along with the ensuing discussion of how to police that from a logistical perspective. There had also been talk about not doing anything and letting the players assume responsibility for how they make contact with each other.

In between those two extremes lies this plan, and while this plan falls closer to the area of "do nothing," it is actually a significant step forward for the league — if it can stick to its guns.

One of the NHL's biggest problems when dealing with, well, pretty much any issue is the fact that it turns a blind eye to things. Whether or not it's because of Crosby's injury or vocal scolding from sponsors like Air Canada, this seems to be a serious and honest approach at addressing the situation without rocking the boat too much. And maybe the boat doesn't need to be rocked; perhaps the five points will provide some relief:

1) Equipment will finally get rid of the hard plastic caps on shoulder and elbow pads, a complaint that's lasted for more than a decade.
2) Concussions will be more than just "got his bell rung."
3) A defined standard for suspensions will finally be set.
4) Arenas will have a fixed standard for safety that gets rid of seamless glass.
5) By having former elite players evaluate this, it won't be run by people who are out of touch from the game but rather have seen concussion effects up close.

It all sounds good on paper, and it's worth it for hockey fans to give the league and its efforts the benefit of the doubt. Will it produce results? Will standards of analysis and enforcement actually press forward? Or will it merely be another bone thrown the way of rabid critics for brief bit of respite? Let's hope the NHL finally got this one right.