NHL still has work to do on concussions: hall of famer

Paul Kariya still believes the NHL can do more to address concussions.

Speaking after he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, Kariya said the league was progressing in its handling of head injuries, but hadn’t yet done enough to root out the dangerous hits that ultimately led to the premature end of his career.

“It’s going in the right direction,” Kariya said. “I’d still like to see more done in terms of how long the suspensions are and the severity of the suspensions. But, hopefully, things continue to progress.

“If that’s out there and players know that the suspensions are going to be harsher, I hope that they don’t (decide to make) those kind of hits.

“Growing up in peewee hockey, when we started contact hockey, the coaches didn’t tell you, ‘When Joey’s not looking, elbow him in the head and that’s a hockey play.’ To me, it’s not a part of the game. It never was a part of the game, shouldn’t be a part of the game and it should be punished accordingly.”

The B.C. native, who piled up 989 points in 989 games, thought awareness about the “devastating” effects of concussions had improved and “10 years from now we’re going to know a lot more about concussions and about ways to prevent them than we do now or, looking back when I was playing, what we knew then.”

Kariya said he holds no ill will toward the NHL for how his career ended, describing himself as “very grateful” for the 15 seasons he spent with the Ducks, Avalanche, Predators and Blues.

His reluctance to appear on the public stage, both with the Ducks — where he spent the bulk of his tenure — or the league was rooted more in his desire for privacy. He’s healthy these days, too, and free of any lingering effects from concussions. He’s able to surf (three to four times a week in California) and snowboard back in B.C. with no problems.

Still, it’s clear he wonders how his remarkable career would have gone without the head injuries.

“I didn’t retire willingly. I would’ve loved to (have) kept playing,” he said.

“If there was any way of waving a magic wand and getting the opportunity to live through my entire career — the good and the bad — I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

I didn’t retire willingly. I would’ve loved to (have) kept playing. PAUL KARIYA