As the NFL’s concussion protocols are called into question following Cam Newton taking multiple shots to the head while remaining in the game, the NHL is reportedly set to make key changes to their own policies.
This will reportedly include a centralized location for experts to monitor games via television, with the authority to remove a player from the game remotely:
Reporting via Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet:
For the 2016-17 season, four independent trainers (called “Central Spotters”) will be monitoring all NHL games via television. If they see “visible signs” of a concussion, they will send word to the team that their affected player must be removed from the game.
According to one source, the league plans to release full details shortly before the start of the regular season. From what I understand, all four independent spotters have hockey backgrounds but none are currently affiliated with an NHL club.
There will still also be team-affiliated spotters in every building.
That’s a key change, as it adds an element outside of the team’s control. As Chris Peters notes for CBS Sports, that might not go over too well with players and coaches:
The camera angles and all of the extra replays may show things an on-site athletic trainer might miss in real time. The spotters likely will have more information at their disposal than the trainers and they also won’t have coaches and or injured players barking at them to let the player stay in the game.
It takes a very difficult decision out of the hands of a team’s athletic trainer, which is going to have its positives and negatives. The players and coaches probably aren’t going to love it, but they’re not always thinking about the long-term health of the injured player in the middle of a game. This takes care of that concern for them.
The extra angles note is an important one. Initial signs might be difficult to notice rinkside, or even in the locker room, especially if you’re then moving on to monitoring other incidents.
It will certainly be fascinating to see if this is an approach adopted by other leagues in the future.
