Mike St. Jean
Reporter | The Argus

n Apr. 8, 1952, Montreal
Canadiens legend Maurice
‘Rocket’ Richard scored a goal that has
become a part of Stanley Cup playoff

folklore.

With the game tied 1-1 late in the
third period, and the Canadiens facing
elimination at the hands of the Boston
Bruins, Richard took a neutral-zone
pass from teammate Butch Bouchard
into the Bruins end and put it home to
give Montreal the lead.

While that would have left the goal as
a memorable one on its own, the event
was far more legendary due to the
fact the Rocket's game seemed all but
over earlier in the period.

Richard, the Canadiens biggest scoring
threat, was knocked to his knees by
Boston defenseman Leo Labine. Seeing
a chance to eliminate their rival's clutch
scorer, the Bruin’s Bill Quackenbush
kneed Richard in the head, leaving him
sprawled spread-eagle on the ice.

It would take the help of the team’s
doctor to get the Rocket back fo the
dressing room, but even a bloodied
face and a pair of black eyes couldn't

keep a man who could barely stand
up minutes earlier from returning fo the
game. The picture of him shaking hands
after the match with Bruin's enforcer,
‘Sugar’ Jim Henry, has become one of
the most iconic photographs in hockey
history.

After the game, Richard collapsed

into his seat in the dressing room

and began sobbing uncontrollably. In
interviews years after the historic goal,
the Rocket admits he has little memory
of the game and its aftermath.

Many fans point to this incident as

an example of playoff heroics, an
example of an athlete who committed
the utmost sacrifice for the better of his
team.

In retrospect, however, it seems
highly likely that Richard suffered

a concussion, and this story, while
undoubtedly heroic, can serve as an
example of how poorly head injuries
were treated in the past.

The narrative of this legendary goal,
and even the more recent ‘heroic’
lamp-lighting play Paul Kariya made
in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals after
being flattened by Scott Stevens,
should remind us that concussions
are not a new aspect of professiona

canadiens.nhlcom

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foncussions Not an ‘Epidemic’ in ProfessionalSports

sports.

The media's recent focus on
concussions has been biased, for lack
of a better word. The general term
used to describe head injuries as of
late has been ‘epidemic,’ which implies
concussions have come out of nowhere
to sweep the sports world by storm.

Nothing could be further from the truth.
Head injuries have long been a part of
professional sports; the only thing that's
changed is the rate at which they are
detected and reported and the ways
that they are treated.

In recent years, the brains of several
NHL players who have passed away
have been donated for studies looking
into the link between hits to the head
and brain deterioration.

While the word ‘epidemic’ implies
concussions are a relatively new
problem in the NHL, studies of the
brains of Rick Martin (who played in
the NHL from 1971-1982) and Reg
Fleming (who's pro career lasted from
1956-1978) have shown that both
players suffered from degenerative
brain diseases likely caused from
repetitive hits to the head.

If head injuries are the new found

17

problem they are presented as, how
is it that these two players, both of
whom hung up the skates more than
a quarter of a century ago, were
found to have been suffering from the
very issue that has been continually
attacked as hockey’s plague of the
new millennium?

We've heard stories of old-time players
being on the receiving end of a big

hit and being hard-pressed to make

it back to the bench, only to be given
a dose of sniffing salts and being sent
back on the ice moments later. It was
a practice that was encouraged, as
athletes lived under a “code” in which
their personal health was secondary to
the goal of the team.

This mentality has changed, and
players have finally begun seeking
treatment for head injuries instead of
groggily taking to the ice night after
night.

It Sidney Crosby played in the

1950s, he likely would have been on
the ice during his battle with post-
concussion syndrome. By no means am
| questioning the legitimacy of his injury,
that's just how things worked back
then.

With this in mind, there is a stark, yet
important, contrast when considering
the number of concussions diagnosed
compared to the actual number of
concussions sustained. Unless we're
somehow able to go back and
compare the number of head injuries
reported versus the ones kept in

the dark, it seems unethical to label
concussions as a new ‘epidemic’ in
sports. After all, just because we were
unaware something existed doesn't
mean it wasn't a problem.

The real epidemic surrounding

head injuries is how far behind our
knowledge and treatment for them
remains, as well as the continued
insistence that many players won't
report them in order to follow the
“code.” Our past ignorance towards
the issue is a far bigger problem than
an increase in players being properly
diagnosed with, and seeking treatment
for, head injuries.

To put it into simple terms, having an
increase in the number of concussions
reported doesn't mean head injuries
are on the rise in professional sports,
just like not calling in sick fo work once
over the course of the year doesn't
necessarily mean you were healthy for

365 days.