NHL Officiating Department Doesn't Seem Too Concerned With Hockey Fights or Concussions

Documents were unsealed on Tuesday in an NHL concussion lawsuit. Among those documents were e-mails that included this exchange between NHL director of officiating Stephen Walkom and Johanna Kytola, also from the NHL officiating department. Via TSN:

"“Ya love it, much to the dismay of the tree huggin, never played sport, leftist doctors… that soon won’t let us climb stairs for fear of concussion…” Walkom responded. “Well ultimately you can never get rid of fighting… No matter what the injury risk ;)” Kytola wrote."

You should read the entire story at TSN. The documents indicate that the NHL did its best to avoid helping researchers and its own doctors were conflicted about the handling of concussions. Via TSN:

"“I am once again disappointed in my colleagues in the [National Hockey League Team Physicians Society],” the doctor wrote in an email to Dr. Willem Meeuwisse, a Calgary-based member of the NHL’s Concussion Working Group. “We all sit around and talk and talk about concussion management. Then it’s the playoffs, someone suffers an obvious loss of consciousness and is back playing in less than 48 hours. “This same Chicago player was hit hard again today and was unable to continue in the game. Another example of situational ethics. Our only job is to protect the players from harm including when the player is ‘clearing’ himself to play. We must be their advocate regardless of what the coach or general manager thinks.”"

Needless to say, the Carolina Huricanes should probably shut down Eddie Lack after he suffered his third concussion of the season earlier this week. The NHL probably doesn’t need that… headache.