Sports littered with players forced to retire

Hockey players often refer to them as “conkies.” They are concussions, and they’ve plagued athletes for decades.

Here’s a look at five of the most notable pro careers either ended, or severely affected, by concussions:

Eric Lindros: Lindros is the hockey name most synonymous with concussions, but there are dozens of NHL players who’ve similarly suffered from head trauma. Lindros deserves credit for lasting 15 seasons despite more than 10 known concussions. But it ended — somewhat early and due to the cumulative affect of his head injuries — in 2007 at age 34.

Brett Lindros: Eric’s younger brother, Brett, was drafted in the first round by the New York Islanders in 1994 but suffered three concussions in just two seasons and was forced to retire in 1996. The younger Lindros was told at the time to never put on another pair of skates — he played just 51 games for the Isles, scoring two goals.

Steve Young: Successfully filled some massive shoes, taking over as the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback after Joe Montana’s era. But three weeks into the 1999 season, Young called it quits after suffering what was believed to be the eighth known concussion of his career.

Scott Stevens: One of the most physically dominating defencemen of all-time, Stevens was known for, among other things, a devastating, concussion-inducing hit on Lindros in 2001. Stevens suffered numerous head traumas himself, and was forced out of the 2003-04 season after being diagnosed with postconcussion syndrome.

Keith Primeau: A 15-year veteran of the NHL and one of the leading forwards of his era, Primeau took the final of numerous concussions in his career and retired nine games into the 2005-06 season.

He’s since become a leading proponent of the fight against head injuries in hockey.