Taking Note

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Juraj Gracik (Tri-City, 2004-06) signed a one-year contract with the Milton Keynes Lightning (England, Premier). He had 16 goals and 18 assists in 36 games for Topolcany (Slovakia, 1.Liga) last season. The English Premier League opens its regular season on Sept. 24.
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On Oct. 28, 2009, Dr. Ann McKee testified before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on NFL players and head injuries.
Dr. McKee is a neuropathologist with Boston University’s Centre for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. Her statement on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is riveting.
It also is available, via video, right here.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoKkpLL10xw
Among other things, Dr. McKee points out that without head trauma there is no CTE. Period.
She also testified about the brain of an 18-year-old football player that showed spots of extreme damage.
I dare you to watch this and then make a responsible case for allowing fighting in hockey, especially where teenagers are involved.
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The Brain Research Centre is holding a major event — Not Just A Concussion, a Research Day on Traumatic Brain Injury — In Vancouver on Sept. 24.
Dr. Ann McKee will be the keynote speaker. There is no charge for registration.
This will be held in the Life Sciences Centre (Lecture Theatre No. 3) at UBC, running from 8 a.m. through 3 p.m. (The address is 2350 Health Sciences Mall, UBC Campus; entry via the west doors only.)
A news release on the event notes:
“Sidney Crosby’s hockey career hangs in the balance as he strives to make a come back from a pair of concussions. Amid speculation and headshaking, he is a living symbol of the tremendous personal costs of traumatic brain injury.
“Loss of livelihood. Poor memory and concentration. Inability to problem solve. Outbursts of rage. Between contact sports and explosive devices common in modern warfare alone, millions of people face, or will encounter, these challenges, born of brain damage caused by blows to the head.
“Join us for a fascinating immersion in recent findings on TBI, potential treatment strategies, and prevention.
“Highlights include keynote speaker Ann McKee, a neuropathologist from Boston University who will speak on the major consequences of mild TBI — a degenerative condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), as well as presentations by BRC-affiliated faculty and Darren Richards, an international expert on injury biomechanics.
“Presentations will cover a range of topics, including basic science pointing to therapies in spinal cord injury and TBI, connections between TBI and dementia, and new imaging techniques that reveal the full extent of brain damage in concussion.
“Admission to our Research Day on Traumatic Brain Injury is free, but you must register in order to attend. Sign up today!”
In order to register, visit right here.
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Willy Panov of the Halifax Chronicle-Herald has covered the QMJHL for a number of years.
On Friday, he tweeted:
“Gilles Courteau would ban fighting in the Q right now if it were only up to him. Progressive thinking.”
Gilles Courteau is the comissioner of the QMJHL.
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Veteran NHLer Shane Doan, the captain of the Phoenix Coyotes, says: “If you want to be safe, then don’t play.”
In a story written by Nicholas J. Cotsonika of Yahoo! Sports, Doan continues:
“Realistically, if you don’t want to get hit and you don’t want to get hurt, then don’t play. If you go out on the ice, you’re going to get hit. If you want to play shinny, then go play shinny. It’s not the same.
“And that’s not trying to be cavalier or trying to be light about the subject, because nobody wants anybody to get hurt. But the game isn’t supposed to be safe. It’s supposed to be an intense, emotional game.”
The complete story is right here.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed D Michael Mylchreest, 16, to a WHL contract. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound Mylchreest is from Gilroy, Calif. He played midget hockey last season with the San Jose Jr. Sharks.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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