Courtnall weighs in on Lindros call to remove body contact
Game at dangerous crossroads as it gets faster and harder, writes Ben Kuzma.
Geoff Courtnall played against Eric Lindros and was drilled by the behemoth.
“I remember when he was with the Rangers, he hit me so frigging hard in the boards in our zone it was like: ‘Holy smokes,’ ” Courtnall, a former Vancouver Canucks winger, recalled Sunday of the heavy but clean bodycheck. “I felt like I got squashed because he was so big. He swallowed you up when he hit you.”
Multiple concussions forced Courtnall to retire in 1999 at age 37, while Lindros did the same in 2007 at age 34.
Their struggles with post-concussion symptoms — and interest in ongoing prevention and cure of traumatic brain injuries — led Lindros to make a bold, gamechanging statement.
It would have been unthinkable during his days of powerforward dominance and imposing physicality that led to his Hockey Hall of Fame induction in 2016.
At the See the Light concussion symposium last week in London, Ont., Lindros challenged the NHL to seriously consider removing body contact from the game.
He later clarified his statement by saying “clean body contact should have a place in the upper tiers and professional hockey.”
What Lindros was really saying is the game is at a dangerous crossroads.
Completely remove contact from the NHL and it becomes glorified shinny. Don’t do enough to address the cause and effect of concussions — despite better blind-side and head-targeting rules, concussion spotters and protocol — and more careers are going to end early.
“I played physical and hit lots of guys and in the end, that’s what ended my career,” added Courtnall, who suffered more than a dozen concussions.
“The greatest part of hockey is the intense physical play that wins and loses games in the playoffs. But it’s a part of the game that has ended careers and even caused problems in youth hockey.
“I don’t know what the solution is. We’re more aware of concussions, but I truly believe there’s something different today with post-concussion (symptoms).
“I was in a bike store yesterday (Saturday) and a mother told me her 12-year-old has already had three concussions and can’t play hockey anymore. It’s frightening.”
And that’s only part of the problem.
Players are faster, shifts are shorter and the pace of play has been likened to a short-track, speed-skating relay.
Pucks are passed at top speed and the agility of defenders means time and space are at a premium. Collisions are going to occur — even when there is no intent to line up an opponent.
Canucks winger Sven Baertschi suffered a concussion in a February 2017 collision with Cody McLeod on a play away from the puck.
The Predators were in transition in their own zone and as Baertschi pivoted in retreat, McLeod arrived at the same time and his left elbow contacted the winger’s chin.
Baertschi sprawled to the ice and would miss the next nine games.
The play wasn’t penalized and in its rationale for no supplementary discipline, the league deemed it an “accidental collision” — even though the head was the principal point of contact.
So, how would this have played out if a no-contact rule that Lindros initially suggested came to fruition? Does McLeod step around Baertschi to avoid a penalty or suspension, or does he just play on instinct because collisions are going to occur?
“It was one of those tough situations because the puck wasn’t anywhere near us and we’re both trying to go the same way,” Baertschi said when he returned from missing 22 days.
“We kind of bumped into each other. Things like that happen and there’s nothing you can really do about it.
“I don’t think he did it on purpose or meant to hurt me or whatever. We were criss-crossing and he comes right ahead of me and I’m kind of low and I ran right into his elbow.”