Are Hockey Rule Changes Causing More Concussions?

Concussions are a problem in all sports, and Sidney Crosby has vaulted the NHL to the top of the player safety discussions. But what’s causing all of the concussions and why are so many happening now as opposed to back when players didn’t even wear helmets?

I’d like to switch gears from SEO and examine some potential causes of the increase in concussions – specifically whether or not the recent rule changes are responsible and what can be done to reduce the amount of concussions in Hockey.

First we need to figure out if we’re really seeing more concussions in the game of if we’re just getting better at diagnosing head injuries that we couldn’t several years ago. That’s a very sound theory and it could have lots of truth – but even if it is true it still presents a problem: Diagnosed or not, the concussions are still happening and it’s in everybody’s best interest to prevent them.

I’d like to take a look at some of Bettman’s asinine screw ups rule changes and see if they could have an effect. Specifically I want to examine the following rule changes:

1. Removal of the redline and 2 line pass
2. The trapezoid behind the net
3. Obstruction penalties

Let’s start with the Trapezoid Rule that doesn’t let goalies play the puck behind the net. I know what you’re saying, “how can that have anything to do with head injuries.” If you’ve ever played defense in a check hockey league though, you’ll instantly get it.

If the goalie can’t play the puck behind the net on dump ins (usually a dump and chase situation) somebody else has to. That somebody is the defenseman. The problem is, it’s a dump in. So while he’s attempting to play the puck, there’s an opposing forward getting a 90-foot head start to drive him into the boards as soon as he does. When the goalie could play it, he wouldn’t get hit. That D man is fair game though, and over the course of the season blueliners have taken way more hits than necessary. Those hits are hard and add up quickly.

So what about the removal of the red line and 2 line pass? The goal here was to speed up the game (not the running time, but the actual pace of play,) let players skate more, and increase scoring.) It’s done that. But when you have players moving a lot faster through the neutral zone it means the hits get that much harder too. It’s simple F=MA math. Players moving faster with more room generate more force.

The same goes for obstruction. Let’s go back to our dump and chase play above. In the early 90’s your forwards would slow up those oncoming checkers by getting in their way. Now, that’s a penalty called obstruction. Prior to 1995 if you got to the ice in front of somebody first, you were entitled to it. It doesn’t work that way anymore and it’s adding to the faster players hit harder issue.

Note: While not technically a rule change, the NHL’s attempt to discourage fighting has left players without fear of consequence for head hits, also adding to the issue

But it’s not just rules, equipment plays a role too.

I’m going to make this next point as concrete as possible.

If anything, there’s a huge part of the problem in itself. In football shoulder pads are weapons. In Hockey, they started out as protection but quickly turned into weapons. I’m willing to bet if everybody went back to the old Coopers (which they still make today) then I’m sure we’d see a drastic decrease in head injuries.

I don’t think there’s one single cause contributing to concussions in the NHL (unless you count Gary Bettman as that single cause) but I do thin all of the recent “innovations” in the game have played their part in adding to the concussion mess. What do you think? More importantly, what do you think the NHL should do about it?

5 comments September 29th, 2011

If Google Was a 13 Year Old

Happy Birthday Google! According to Google’s homepage logo today, Google has officially turned 13. That got me thinking, what would happen to Google if it actually started acting like a teenager?

If Google were actually a 13 year old:

1. Results about girls would be given a significant ranking boost.
2. Occasionally a search results page would simply return “I don’t feel like doing that, leave me alone”
3. The homepage design would be a different background color every week.
4. teh s34rch rslts wuld luk lyk dis.
5. did you mean.. suggestions would be replaced by OMG NOOB!!11!! lrn2 spell.
6. Instead of a captcha for too many searches, Google would require you to drive it to the mall.
7. Google would over-react to rejected buyout offers with thoughts of bankruptcy.
8. The length of results returned would suddenly increase, almost overnight.
9. New product: Google Porn!
10. It would constantly be trying to act like the older, more mature Yahoo – while wanting nothing to do with the younger Bing.
11. Senators would be grandstanding about protecting the Google.

Let’s hear your suggestions. Now that Google is 13 and a teenager, what would be different if it actually were a teenager? (I was tempted to include some lines about plus, gmail, youtube, etc but those services aren’t actually 13 today – just the search engine)

Leave your suggestions in the comments and I’ll update this post with the best ones.

1 comment September 27th, 2011

Facebook makes changes. People Wig Out (for now)

OMGFacebook changed their layout! Quick, everybody wig out.

Everybody’s seen it, and we’ve all already complained about it on Twitter. Facebook updated their layout and the “most recent” is gone. They also added a mini facebook on the top right. They also creepily decided that they know what’s more important than I do. It’s a drastic change – I know – and drastic changes can take a while to adjust to.

But guess what – everybody hates changes. Nobody’s going to leave facebook over this change despite their threats.

It reminds me of something @DrewCurtis said at Blueglass Florida last year and has repeated over and over.

People hate change. OCD is 20% of the population. People just wig out when you change things around. I know because I screw with my friends apartment… Wait 3 days and see if they are still upset. Main thing is don’t change core functionality. If you move layout around people will get use to that, but you can’t change core functionality. I’ve got people telling me that I am ruining the community because of the political hit…. It’s less than 1% if my site. If you are passionate about it and feel your right then go with it. Of course it helps when you are right… and you better be right.

(thanks to search engine people for actually writing this down at a time of the conference when I was too hungover to do so. And yes, that hangover is also attributed to @drewcurtis )

But guess what – Drew is right! Facebook has made changes before and everybody rioted before eventually liking them. Fark has made changes. Delicious made changes. Reddit made changes. Every site site does it, and every time they do the users complain. But then a few days later something crazy happens: The users realized that the change is for the better.

Just look at new Twitter. Everybody hated it, then they made it standard. Now that they’re taking it away you’d think people would be happy; but they’re not. They hated new Twitter when it came, and now they hate being switched back to old Twitter.

The key to changes is like Drew says: make sure you’re right. So far, Facebook has been right. They’ve managed to last longer than any other social network has, and they’re still growing.

Time will show that Facebook probably does know what’s most interesting to you. Sure, we’ll miss the “most recent” option but I’m sure in a few days it’ll either be back or it’ll be no big deal at all.

My advice: Quit going crazy and bitching about the changes and start using them. You might be surprised to find that they grow on you.

1 comment September 21st, 2011

Mustang Customizer

The Mustang is such a sexy car isn’t it? I love mine.

Today I’ve been playing around with the new Mustang Customizer we (Team Detroit) launched recently on Ford’s website. My custom mustang is kicking ass right now. Check it out:

Click the thumbnail above to see a larger version of the one I customized. Check out how it’s faring in the battle below.

And yes, I did sort of design it like my current mustang (if Mine were a Shelby – I wish) here’s mine below in a great pose near world headquarters that I wish we could have used on the customizer.

September 16th, 2011

Why Does My Eye Twitch?

If you’ve ever started typing a question into Google that starts with “why” you’ve probably seen “why does my eye twitch” come up as a suggestion.

your cat stares at you because you stink and keep winking at it, you old pervert.

Believe it or not, it’s not just a bunch of oddballs searching for this stuff – eye twitching is a pretty common occurrence.

The good news though is that Eye Twitching Is Completely Normal. According to WebMD That eye twitch is known as blepharospasm.

Blepharospasm has a few causes that can cause your eye to twitch. These causes include dry eyes, stress, caffeine, lack of sleep, or harsh light conditions.

As somebody who’s had a twitchy eye in the past, I can say that mine was definitely caused by a combination of stress and caffeine. When I cut down my caffeine intake and started taking CBN gummies from Exhale’s website my eye stopped twitching. (Luckily the twitch stopped when I un-stressed during hunting season – which is good because I would have hated to see what happened if I fired a rifle with a twitchy scope eye.)

So if you eye is twitching, try and see if you’re stressed or changed your routine lately. Check the lighting, cut out the caffeine, get some sleep, or try some allergy eye drops. Also, I recommend trying this drink here if you’re looking for products that can help your body relax.

Of course, I’m not a doctor so if you think you have something serious, by all means see your doctor.

As for why your belly button smells? (how does one even smell their own belly button anyway?) I can’t help with that – try taking a shower.

1 comment September 12th, 2011