Sad news in the hockey world today, as 25 year old Montreal Canadiens forward Blake Geoffrion (grandson of Boom Boom) announced his retirement from hockey.
Geoffrion suffered a fractured skull last November after being leveled by Syracuse Crunch defenceman JP Cote. He has not played a game since the hit, and I think this comment sums it up best: “I love the game of hockey more than anything and this decision tears me up inside,” said Geoffrion, quoted by Buccigross. “But we are talking about my brain.”
Geoffrion’s retirement will of course bring to the forefront the discussion of head injuries in the NHL, and professional sports in general. Geoffrion is hardly the first player to suffer from a serious head injury. Sidney Crosby, Nathan Horton, Mark Savard, Chris Pronger… the list goes on. While the rising number of diagnosed concussions is alarming, it is actually a good thing. It means the players are being given proper treatment rather than just shaking it off and getting back on the ice, where they risk further injury and permanent brain damage.
However, while advances in medical technology and an improved attitude towards concussions are the good news, there is also bad news. Players are still going out there and making dirty hits. Just last night Corey Perry destroyed Jason Zucker with a blindside hit that left the Wild player in a daze on the ice for several minutes. He is not expected back any time soon and it is likely that Brendan Shanahan will be handing down a suspesnion. Last week, noted goon Patrick Kaleta dangerously checked Brad Richards from behind. Luckily the Rangers pivot was ok, but he did have some choice words for Kaleta. “If we’re all gonna look at each other’s numbers and ram each other from behind head-first into the boards it’s gonna be a tough game to play. That’s not hockey. I don’t know what game he plays, actually.”
That last sentence is the money shot, and as long as there are guys out there like Kaleta or Zenon Konopka who are just out there to create havoc and put some fear in opposing players, the risk of injury is going to be very high in the NHL. Team’s like the Detroit Red Wings that you don’t need an enforcer to be successful, but not many teams are the Red Wings, so carrrying a fighter or two will continue to be the norm in the NHL until something like this happens
Marc Staal left yesterday’s game vs. the Flyers in the third period after a Kimmo Timonen slapshot deflected off of Jakub Voracek’s stick and hit Staal above the right eye.
Staal hit the ice visibly in pain and bleeding from the face. He also has a history of concussions so a blow to the head like this is alarming for the Rangers. There is not a lot of news on the extent of Staal’s injury because the Rangers didn’t practice today, but according to Nick Kypreos the injury isn’t career threatening but he is out indefinitely. Marc’s brother Eric has also told reporters that they are waiting for the swelling to go down around Marc’s eye before further determination can be made about his injury.
Staal is enjoying a career year offensively with two goals and nine assists in 21 games. This is a big loss for the Rangers because Staal plays an average of 24:27 a night. The Rangers claimed Roman Hamrlik off of waivers from Washington today which likely indicates that Staal is going to miss substantial time with this injury.
This injury sparks the on-going conversation on whether or not it should be mandatory for NHL players to wear visors. However, the NHL can’t force the players to wear visors; it would be something that NHL and the NHLPA would have to agree on. There has been some serious injuries in the past that visors could have prevented. Chris Pronger was high-sticked last season and he suffered serious eye damage and a concussion that appears to have ended his career. When Pronger returned he wore a visor for the last five games of the season.
Although visors are not mandatory, according to the NHLPA visor use continues to increase across the league. 73% of the NHL wears them which is up from 69% in 2011-12. Incidents like this are likely to help increase the number of players who wear visors, which is similar to what happened with the increased use of kevlar socks after the Erik Karlsson injury.
From a fantasy standpoint Staal wasn’t an elite fantasy option but he was among the Top 30 defenceman. With him out of the Rangers lineup look for Michael Del Zotto and Anton Stralman to see an increase in playing time. If you are going to replace Staal there are a few players that could be available in your league that would be worth-while fantasy replacements.
Josi plays 22+ minutes a night giving him ample opportunity to put the puck in the net. He is averaging two shots a game as well, however he has seen his plus-minus drop with the Predators recent struggles. Josi scored 40 points in 69 games in the AHL during the 2010-11 season, meaning he has the potential to score at the NHL level.
