Survey: Players say NHL making progress on concussions

Jason Dickinson was angry the moment he was pulled from a game to be checked for a concussion.

On the receiving end of a hit that warranted a second look, the Dallas Stars forward later realized the precaution wasn't such a bad thing.

“Today's game they're doing a lot, and they are focusing on concussions,” Dickinson said. “If you're not feeling fine, then I think it's a great method to kind of keep guys aware that something might be wrong.”

The NHL last fall settled a lawsuit with retired players who sued the league and accused it of failing to protect them from head injuries or warning them of the risks involved with playing. Yet progress has been made to the point that almost half of current NHL Players' Association representatives surveyed by The Associated Press and Canadian Press said they believe the league is doing all it can to protect players from concussions.

Fifteen of the 31 player reps said the league is doing what it can. The other 16 were noncommittal.

“It never stops in terms of always trying to learn more, make improvements and always try to do better,” Toronto Maple Leafs center John Tavares said. “To just sit there and think, `Yeah, we're doing enough,' I don't think has ever really been the approach.”

The NHL formed a concussion study group in 1997, cracked down on certain hits after the 2004-05 lockout, instituted a formal protocol and a rule against head contact in 2010, and added spotters in 2015. While plenty of debate simmers among former players about how much information they were given about the risks of repeated hits to the head, many of those currently in the league believe they are adequately informed.

“The knowledge that we get is about as much as they can send out to us and make us go through at the beginning of the year, learning and being aware of it,” said Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo.