Time is now to eliminate head shots in hockey

Hockey Betting Lines

03/10/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A concussion is serious, and the NHL may finally be waking up to the fact. Anyone who has had a serious knock will tell you that the effects can be scary. While the league has spent years dancing around the subject of hits to the head, it is an issue that has become more pressing than ever.

It makes you wonder if the suits in the front office have been suffering from the same confusion and blurry vision as the players who seem to be dropping like flies around the league.

Hockey's alleged top brains will be concluding a three-day summit Wednesday, where the topic of shoulder hits to the head is being discussed. As it stands, the shoulder blow is still a legal part of the game, meaning that no penalty can be assessed for the goon-like offense.

"The managers in their heart of hearts feel something's wrong here, but it's not against the rules. That's what we're trying to attack," said Colin Campbell, the NHL's principle disciplinarian.

Last Sunday, Boston Bruins all-star Marc Savard became the latest victim of an unsuspecting shoulder to the head by the Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke. Seeing him motionless on the ice was a troubling scene, but a scene that has been repeating itself like a bad Hollywood script.

Savard will likely be forced by team doctors to miss multiple weeks of action, as the medical community has made it clear they won't treat these injuries like a joke.

Young Florida Panthers sniper David Booth missed three-quarters of this season with medically diagnosed post-concussion syndrome, and was only allowed to play after rigorous baseline testing.

Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron can attest first-hand to the after- effects of a brain injury. A grade-three concussion almost stripped the young star of his career in October of 2007 as he ended up missing the better part of the season.

"I couldn't do anything. The light was bothering me, the noise was bothering me. Everything was," Bergeron said in reference to the concussion. "It was giving me headaches, making me dizzy."

"I was pretty much trying to go through the day, trying to sleep and rest and feel better."

Luckily Bergeron was able to get back on track after a long and difficult recovery. He was even fortunate enough to win Olympic gold with Team Canada in Vancouver.

But, not all players are so lucky.

It's no surprise that around the sport these hits are called "career-enders", just ask Eric Lindros.

Termed the "Next One" in the 90's, Lindros was supposed to be the second coming of Wayne Gretzky. A true superstar during his short NHL career, he would miss significant time due to concussions and eventually retire thanks to the elbow of bruiser Scott Stevens.

What did the powers that be tell us then? They said it was part of the game. They said it takes toughness to be a hockey player, like Eddie Shore and Bobby Clarke.

Sorry gentlemen, but the game is light years ahead of where it was back then. It's faster, more violent, and the players are stronger.

Players must be forced to respect the head and the only way to do that is to asses a penalty for the infraction. There should be, at minimum, a five-minute major and an ejection from the game for the dangerous blow. The same punishment has been effective in reducing hits from behind, and hits to the head are no less an epidemic.

It is embarrassing that the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), Canada's premier junior hockey organization, has already figured out a way to deter these dirty hits while the NHL has stood pat.

In doling out a season-long suspension in January to high-profile player Patrice Cormier for his blindside hit of a fellow player, the CHL sent a strong message that these types of plays would not be tolerated. Captain of the Canadian world junior team and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standout, Cormier was not allowed to escape the rule of law due to his star status. The same hard-nosed approach must be taken in the NHL.

"Clearly the blind side of an unsuspecting player is what we're talking about," said Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk. He also added that he thought stiffer suspensions could be used more frequently in extreme cases.

Unfortunately, any rule change proposed at the summit needs approval by the competition committee, which includes players, and the league's board of governors. Hopefully, the recommendations that are made don't fall on deaf ears.

It would be regrettable if another career was put in jeopardy before action was taken.

Mypokerface Hockey Betting News

<< Garciaparra calls it a career
Fort Myers, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have called a morning news conference at which time infielder Nomar Garciaparra is expected to announce his retirement. According to Boston sports talk station WEEI, Garciaparra

<< Bryant's heroics lift Lakers past Raptors
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant played hero again, sinking the winning jumper from the right baseline with 1.9 seconds left, and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a three-game skid with a 109-107 victory over the Toronto

<< Garon solid in net as Blue Jackets down Ducks
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mathieu Garon was strong with 36 saves to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. Fedor Tyutin, Jakub Voracek and Antoine Vermette all recorded a goal and two assi

<< Blazers hold off Kings
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds as Portland beat Sacramento for the fifth straight time, 88-81, at the Rose Garden. Nicolas Batum and Andre Miller each tallied 14 points for the

<< Kelly, Senators handle Oilers
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Kelly registered a goal and an assist to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place. Mike Fisher, Matt Cullen and Milan Michalek also scored for the Senators, w

Robert Morris battles Quinnipiac for NEC crown >>
Hamden, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded Quinnipiac Bobcats and the second-seeded Robert Morris Colonials are set to collide in the championship game of the 2010 Northeast Conference Tournament, and the winner will receive an automatic bid

Hoyas and Bulls collide in Big East Tourney >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Big East Tournament continues today, as the ninth-seeded South Florida Bulldogs tussle with the 22nd-ranked and eighth-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in second-round action at Madison Square Garden. The winner of th

Montana and Weber State duke it out for Big Sky title >>
Ogden, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A trip to the NCAA Tournament is on the line tonight, as the Weber State Wildcats and the Montana Grizzlies do battle in the championship game of the 35th annual Big Sky Conference Tournament at the Dee Events Cente

Grizzlies take road winning streak to Boston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies will attempt to keep the longest road winning streak in franchise history intact when they visit a place they've historically struggled over the years, Boston's TD Garden, for tonight's matchup with the

Nuggets visit Wolves without Karl >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Without their head coach patrolling the sidelines, the Denver Nuggets will start up a four-game road trip tonight against a Minnesota Timberwolves team hoping to end a string of six straight losses when it takes the Target Ce

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.