Concussions in the NHL: Do you want tighter hitting restrictions?

Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook, dazed from a body check delivered Monday night in Chicago, is the latest in a growing number of players who continue on the ice even after being concussed. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Updated Wed., 10:10 a.m. ET: The National Hockey League decided there will be no suspension for Vancouver Canucks forward Raffi Torres after his hit on Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook on Sunday.

NHL senior vice-president Colin Campbell released a statement Monday to explain why there was no supplementary discipline for Torres.

"This hit meets none of the criteria that would subject Torres to supplemental discipline including an application of Rule 48 [Illegal Check to the Head]: he did not charge his opponent or leave his feet to deliver this check. He did not deliver an elbow or extended forearm and this hit was not 'late'," Cambell stated.

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Originally posted Tues., 3:07 p.m. ET: A large percentage of National Hockey League players who continue playing without in-game medical attention after suffering a concussion endure greater repercussions later on, a new study finds.

Roughly 27 per cent of players who sustained a minor brain injury unexamined on-site wound up sidelined for more than 10 game days, according to the University of Calgary study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

"One trend we saw was that while the number of concussions levelled out over the study period, the amount of time loss appeared to gradually increase over the years, which may be an indication of either greater severity or greater caution in treatment," wrote lead author Dr. Brian Benson, a physician and researcher at the Sport Medicine Centre in the U of C's Faculty of Kinesiology.

The warning comes one day after a violent hit by Vancouver Canucks forward Raffi Torres floored Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook during a first round Stanley Cup playoff game Sunday in Chicago. Torres received a two-minute minor penalty for interference.

Some say the collision, which sent Seabrook to the dressing room only after a successive hit convinced him to step off the ice, exposes a grey area in the league stipulation--Rule 48--designed to discourage such instances.

Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain and last season's second-highest points earner, remains conspicuously absent from the playoffs after likely suffering a concussion during a match in January. He sustained another head blow the following game, and has not played since.

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What is the best way to avoid concussions during game play? Do you think the NHL should further tighten hitting restrictions, or encourage players and trainers to better evaluate brain trauma immediately after serious collisions? Let us know in the comments below.



(This survey is not scientific. Comments are based on the readers' responses.)

Related links:

• VIDEO: A dirty hit?
• VIDEO: Torres hit