In fact, the story continues to get bigger and bigger. Sooner or later, the pooh-bahs who run major junior and professional hockey are going to outlaw fighting to show they are serious about eliminating concussions from the game.
Maybe it would help if we stopped calling them concussions and started referring to them as brain injuries. . . .
“The numbers are kind of insane — there are currently 25 players out with concussions, or ‘upper body injuries’ that include ‘concussion-like symptoms.’ ”
So begins a story on concussion in the NHL that was posted on Deadspin on Tuesday afternoon.
That complete report is right here.
There also is link there to a CBC report that claims that 88 NHL players missed 1,697 man-games with concussions last season.
There are 30 NHL teams. In the WHL, where there are 22 teams, it is believed that at least 100 players suffered concussions last season.
While the WHL is secretive when in the area of injuries, especially when it comes to concussions, it would appear that the league is headed into that same territory again this season.
The WHL’s last injury report, dated Feb. 25, indicates that 37 players are out with “upper body” injuries. Of those 37, I would suggest that more than 20 are out with concussions or concussion-like symptoms. That injury list doesn’t include players who have suffered concussions this season and are back playing, a number that may be has high as 50. Nor does it include players who haven’t been able to play because of concussions suffered prior to this season.
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Jeff Z. Klein of The New York Times weighs in right here on the NHL and its recent wave of brain injuries.
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Meanwhile, Eric Russell of the Portland, Me., Press Herald reported on Feb. 16 that “a former University of Maine student-athlete has become the first hockey player to join a class-action lawsuit that claims the National Collegiate Athletic Association has failed to do enough to address and prevent concussions.”
It seems that a lawsuit was filed in September 2011 in Northern Illinois.
Russell’s story is right here. The story details problems encountered by former Maine player Kyle Solomon, as well as three other former NCAA athletes who suffered career-ending concussions.
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There has been speculation that D Derrick Pouliot could return to the Portland Winterhawks’ lineup tonight against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. Pouliot, who has been rehabbing a high ankle sprain, originally was injured on Dec. 18. He came back to play four games in January (on the 8th, 9th, 11th and 25th) but hasn’t played since then. . . . Pouliot has been skating for a couple of weeks now and Travis Green, the acting head coach, told Paul Buker of The Oregonian that the defenceman “is close.” . . . Green also said: “I’m not sure if it will be this week, or this weekend. But it’s more day to day now than week to week.” . . . As for Pouliot playing tonight, Green told Buker: “It’s possible, but I don’t suspect he will play.”What is certain is that Pouliot will play during the playoffs, which makes Portland just that much more formidable.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The BCHL’s Cowichan Capitals announced Tuesday that Bob Beatty has signed on as general manager and head coach. Beatty had been with the SJHL’s La Ronge Ice Wolves. Beatty will take over the Capitals once their 20012-13 season has ended.———
The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Medicine Hat (6)
Prince Albert (4) vs Red Deer (5)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Tri-City (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, F Mike Winther scored twice and the Prince Albert Raiders dumped the Warriors, 4-1. . . . Winther has 21 goals this season. . . . F Mark McNeill added three assists for the winners. . . . Raiders F Dakota Conroy, who had gone 19 games without a goal, opened the scoring with his 19th goal. . . . Raiders G Luke Siemens stopped 41 shots in posting his 32nd victory. Last season, he put up 35 victories for the Warriors. . . . With the victory, the Raiders moved back into a tie for fourth with the Red Deer Rebels in the Eastern Conference. The Raiders hold a game in hand. . . . 
In Red Deer, the Saskatoon Blades ran their winning streak to 16 games and clinched a playoff spot with a 4-0 victory over the Rebels. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov stopped 24 shots as he set a single-season franchise record with his seventh shutout. The previous record had been held by Braden Holtby (2008-09). Holtby, now with the Washington Capitals, also put up a shutout last night, beating the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, 3-0. . . . F Brenden Walker scored twice for the Blades, with F Michael Ferland and F Brett Stovin each drawing two assists. . . . Walker has a career-high 27 goals. . . . Red Deer G Patrik Bartosak turned aside 42 shots. . . . The Rebels had won the first three games of the season series from the Blades, outscoring them 11-4. . . . The Blades remain atop the East Division, seven points ahead of Prince Albert. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Henrik Samuelsson and F Michael St. Croix each had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), 6-2. . . . The Oil Kings had lost their previous three games, including two on this U.S. Division swing. . . . Edmonton is to meet the Winterhawks in Portland tonight. The Oil Kings beat Portland in seven games in last springs championship final. . . . Samuelsson and St. Croix each has 32 goals. . . . Edmonton F T.J. Foster scored his 26th goal of the season. It was his 100th career goal and 250th career point. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar scored his 34th goal. . . . Oil Kings G Laurent Brossoit picked up his fourth assist this season, breaking the franchise’s single-season record that he set last season. . . . Seattle F Alex Delnov scored his 20th goal. . . . Edmonton was 3-for-3 on the PP. . . . The Oil Kings moved back into second in the overall standings a point ahead of the idle Kelowna Rockets. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Portland Winterhawks, 4-2. . . . Tri-City F Parker Bowles tied the game 2-2 with his 20th goal at 17:55 of the second period. . . . The Americans report that Bowles, 17, who has 20 goals, is the “youngest Americans rookie to reach 20 goals in a season.” F Jaroslav Kristek was an 18-year-old rookie when he scored 20 goals in 1997-98. . . . Tri-City F Connor Rankin snapped the tie with his 24th at 6:42 of the third. . . . F Beau McCue had two assists for the winners. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie scored his 40th goal. He is the sixth WHLer to reach 40 this season. . . . Portland D Shaun McPherson opened the scoring with his fourth goal. He turned 19 yesterday. . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser scored his 39th goal of the season — and the 150th of his career — in his 311th consecutive game. That ties the WHL record held by D Dwayne Newman (Brandon, Victoria, 1987-92). . . . Tri-City G Troy Trombley continued his terrific run. He made 37 saves in his sixth straight start — he is 6-0-0. He now has beaten the Winerhawks twice, having turned aside 41 shots in a 6-2 victory in Portland on Feb. 15. . . . The Winterhawks had won five in a row. . . . The Americans, who have won six in a row, have three victories over Portland this season. . . . Tri-City is fourth in the Western Conference, now with a three-point edge over the idle Spokane Chiefs. Each team has 10 games remaining. ———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Matej Stransky, Saskatoon
D David Musil, Edmonton
CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From Moose Jaw Warriors F Josh Uhrich (@96uhrich): “Feeling sorry for all the girls in Saskatoon having to deal with all the boys getting their hair done for playoffs”
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The Tri-City Americans are bringing in F Matthew Gelinas for a pair of weekend games. The Americans are at home to the Everett Silvertips on Friday and the Edmonton Oil Kings on Saturday. . . . Gelinas, 17, is pointless in five games with the Americans this season. He plays for the midget AAA Calgary Royals. he is from Calgary.
In Edmonton, Regina G Matt Hewitt turned aside 53 shots to lead the Pats to a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk broke a 2-2 tie with his 30th goal at 9:06 of the third period. . . . F Lane Scheidl scored twice for Regina, giving him 33. . . . Edmonton held a 55-16 edge in shots. . . .
The Tri-City Americans have signed F Fraser Bulbuc, 17, and he will spend the next week with the club. Bulbuc, 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds, is from Sherwood Park, Alta., and plays for the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders. He has seven points and 127 penalty minutes in 43 games this season. Last season, with the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings, he had 14 points and 16 penalty minutes in 25 games.
The Vancouver Giants have signed Alec Baer, a forward who, according to a Giants’ news release, is “the No. 1-rated player” from Minnesota. Baer, 15, had been playing high school hockey with Benilde-St. Margaret's. According to the news release, “Baer was rated as the #1 Freshman in Minnesota by Western College Hockey SB Nation.” . . . He had 16 points in 19 games as a freshman with Benilde-St. Margaret's. . . . More from the Giants’ news release: “Baer participated in the Giants' Rookie Training Camp last August and finished camp as the leading scorer. The numbers Baer put up at camp haven't been seen at a Giants' camp since Gilbert Brule.”
In Brandon, F Jayce Hawryluk broke a 2-2 tie at 15:56 of the third period, on the PP, and the Wheat Kings beat the Kootenay Ice, 3-2. . . . Hawryluk, who has points in each of his last seven games, had sat out Brandon’s last game for school-related issues. . . . He has 16 goals. . . . F Tim McGauley had two assists for Brandon. . . . D Ryan Pulock scored his 13th goal and added an assist for Brandon. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 27 shots for his first WHL victory. . . . The Ice is three points behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who hold down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers ran their winning streak to five games with a 5-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Prince George has lost five of six. . . . F Curtis Valk had a goal and two assists for the winners, who erased a 3-2 second-period deficit. . . . Valk broke a 3-3 tie with his 36th goal 28 seconds into the third period. . . . F Colin Jacobs scored three times for the Cougars, giving him 21. . . . With G Brett Zarowny (concussion) still out of action, the Cougars had Matt Kustra, a 15-year-old from Yorkton, Sask., on the bench in support of starter Mac Engel. Kustra, a 2012 draft pick of the Cougars, plays for the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, Sask. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 37 shots. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Rhyse Dieno scored the only goal of the circus as the Rebels got past the Victoria Royals, 2-1. . . . F Tim Traber, with his fourth, scored for the Royals at 4:28 of the third. . . . Red Deer D Mathew Dumba tied it, with his 13th goal, on a PP at 17:29. . . . In an intriguing battle of Czech goaltenders, Red Deer’s Patrik Bartosak stopped 44 shots through OT, seven more than Victoria’s Patrik Polivka. . . . The victory pulled the Rebels to within a point of fourth place in the Eastern Conference. . . . Earlier Friday, the Rebels were among hundreds of people to attend the funeral of Kale Williams, the 17-year-old son of Dean Williams, the club’s vice-president of marketing and sales. Kale, who died last weeked, was a close friend with Rebels players. “Obviously, it’s been an emotional few days for a lot of people in the community, for our hockey team and our staff,” Brent Sutter, the Rebe’s owner, general manager and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “But full marks to the kids. They stayed with it and showed a lot of resiliency tonight. They just kept working and found a way to tie it, and to win the game in a shootout just puts an exclamation mark on it. I’m proud of these kids. Really, I don’t have any words for it.” . . .
In Kamloops, F Brendan Ranford had a goal and two assists as the Blazers won their sixth in a row, beating the Kelowna Rockets, 4-2. . . . F Colin Smith had two assists for the Blazers. . . . F Dylen McKinlay scored his 20th goal of the season for Kelowna. . . . Kamloops closed to within five points of B.C. Division-leading Kelowna. . . . They’ll meet again tonight, this time in Kelowna. . . .
In Everett, F Alessio Bertaggia returned from injury to score twice and help the Spokane Chiefs to a 6-3 victory over the Silvertips. . . . He had played in only two games for Spokane since being acquired from Brandon on Jan. 10. . . . Bertaggia’s first goal gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead at 10:57 of the first period. His second goal, into an empty net, was his 20th of the season. . . . F Kohl Bauml scored twice for Everett, giving him 19. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg scored his 34th goal. . . . Spokane has three defencemen injured, so moved F Blake Gal back to the blue-line. . . . The Chiefs moved past Victoria and into fourth in the Western Conference. . . . Everett, which has lost nine in a row, is seventh, two points ahead of Seattle, which has lost seven in a row. The Thunderbirds are in Everett tonight.
F Andrej Kudrna (Vancouver, Red Deer, 2008-11) was assigned to Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga) by Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL) for the rest of this season. He has one goal in 13 games for Slovan and 10 goals and three assists in 18 games for Skalica this season. . . .
F Parker Stanfield (Prince George, Everett, 2007-11) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Poprad (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had six goals and seven assists in 33 games with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) this season. . . .
F Marek Curilla (Kootenay, Medicine Hat, 2005-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Zvolan (Slovakia, Extraliga) after obtaining his release from Most (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He had six goals and 11 assists in 40 games with Most this season.
of violations of WHL Regulations.”
are wearing new and different sweaters. Here’s how Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix described the sweaters as “featuring navy blue, royal blue and grey strips and a stylized ‘Blades’ logo where the ‘L’ is a hockey stick.” . . . These sweaters are the result of a contest in which fans were asked for design ideas. . . . Nugent-Bowman reports that there were 113 entries. Those were whittled down to five and then put to a fan vote. . . . The winning design is from Fabio Burà of Switzerland.
Bliss Littler, the head coach of the NAHL’s Wentchee Wild, has drawn a five-game suspension and assistant coach Chris Clark is gone indefinitely. That is the fallout from Clark’s turn as a blindman during a recent game in Wenatchee.
In Moose Jaw, D Morgan Rielly drew four assists as the Warriors doubled the Medicine Hat Tigers, 8-4. . . . The teams combined for seven goals in the second period, with F Curtis Valk scoring three times for the Tires, two of them on the PP. . . . Moose Jaw emerged with a 5-3 lead. . . . Valk has 32 goals. . . . Moose Jaw F Bryson Gore, who went into the game with 10 points, had a goal, his seventh, and two assists. . . . The Warriors now have won four of five. . . .
In Prince George, F Chase Witala scored three times to help the Cougars to a 6-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Witala scored the Cougars’ first two goals, at which point he had scored his team’s previous five goals. . . . He has 14 goals this season, six of them in his last three games. . . . Cougars D Dallas Ehrhardt had a goal and two assists. . . . The Cougars were awarded two penalty shots in this one. F Colin Jacobs beat G Coleman Vollrath t 7:14 of the second period; F Jarrett Fontaine was foiled by G Patrik Polivka at 13:38 of the third. . . . The Royals were coming off a 6-1 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Thursday night. Not many teams play one night in Kelowna and the next night in Prince George. . . . The Cougars are without G Brett Zarowny (concussion), so had Ty Edmonds, 16, on the bench, backing up Mac Engel. Edmonds plays for the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals. . . .
In Vancouver, F Colton Sissons scored twice and G Jackson Whistle stopped 32 shots as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Giants, 5-1. . . . Sissons broke a 1-1 tie at 3:19 of the first period. . . . After scoring those three early goals, the teams didn’t score again until Sissons got his 20th of the season at 2:42 of the third period. . . . Whistle was acquired by the Rockets from Giants on Sept. 7 for a 2014 third-round bantam draft pick. . . .
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