William J. Masterton : an investigation.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

Toronto Star .

[Konnan511 1,736]

Even more the reason that hits to the head and boardings need to leave the game with the offenders accumulating big suspensions and heavy fines.

[mjlegend 155]

Neatly typed on Masterton’s 1968 autopsy report are the words, “Likely Cause of Death: Cerebral contusions” sustained from a “fall on ice.”

After reviewing the document, Dr. Charles Tator, a Toronto neurosurgeon and concussion expert, believes Masterton suffered “second impact syndrome,” a rare occurrence where a second concussion happens on the heels of a first concussion that never healed, causing rapid and severe brain swelling.

This would never happen today.

I mean, a player in 2011 would have the sense not to go back out there a few days after getting a concussion, wouldn't he?

[Guest Shoreline]

This is the unfortunate circumstance about playing hockey --- it's a physical sport, it's potentially a dangerous sport.

I don't see any rules about nitpicking hits to the head or babysitting checks within a game going on that aren't already against the rules as of a few years ago working without completely changing how the NHL's definition of hockey is.

At some level players are going to have to understand the possible consequences that goes along with such a physical sport, and accept to play with those or not play. Same goes with UFC or boxing or football -- you can only provide so much safety accommodation before accepting reality about what the sport entails. The NFL tries so hard to nitpick every hit players make, down to the body location and the timing of it and look at how well this works -- not at all. The only thing accomplished in the NFL over these changes is more a more boring and bureaucratic sport layered more in "feel good" rules than centred around a free-flowing and fluid game.