WHAT WE LEARNED
What we learned from the last week of play in the NHL:
Emails between the NHL and team executives, unsealed last week by a federal court in Minnesota, showed some genuine concern, some denial, and some stonewalling about a possible link between concussions and players’ post- hockey problems. The NHL wanted to keep those documents secret, along with others submitted to the court as part of a lawsuit filed by former players who contend the NHL failed to warn players of the effects of repeated concussions, failed to care for players who suffered head injuries and promoted “unreasonable and unnecessary violence leading to head trauma.” A few months after the 2011 deaths of enforcers Wade Belak, Rick Rypien and Derek Boogaard, Commissioner Gary Bettman wrote to Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and thenchief disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan, “An interesting question is whether being an NHL fighter does this to you ( I don’t believe so) or whether a certain type of person ( who wouldn’t otherwise be skilled enough to be an NHL player) gravitates to this job ( I believe more likely).” Daly replied, “I tend to think it’s a little bit of both. Fighting raises the incidence of head injuries/ concussions, which raises the incidence of depression onset, which raises the incidence of personal tragedies.” Separately, Mike Murphy, the NHL’s senior vice president of hockey operations, wrote, “I’m a strong believer we are ‘ over doctored’ … too many so- called experts weighing in who have never been on the field of play.” That’s scariest of all.
Woe, Canada. The Ottawa Senators’ playoff elimination last week means all seven Canada- based franchises were shut out of postseason play. The last time that happened was the 1969- 70 season, when there were only two teams in Canada — the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Canadiens did a good deed in an otherwise lost season when they recalled forward John Scott, whose All- Star candidacy began as a prank but became a feel- good story when he was voted the most valuable player. He will play Tuesday in Montreal against Florida. “It’s almost like a movie, right?” he said Monday.
Center Steven Stamkos, who leads the Tampa Bay Lightning with 36 goals and 64 points, underwent surgery Monday for a vascular problem that caused a blood clot near his right collarbone. He will be reevaluated in two weeks and is expected to be out from one to three months.