The Crosby watch is on as the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins gets ready to play his first game of the year. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Concussions and suspensions continue to be two hot topics during the 2011-12 NHL season.
The issues became intertwined when the NHL further tweaked its Rule 48 blindside headshot rule last spring and league vice-president of player safety Brendan Shanahan was given the mandate to deliver stern suspensions for those who target the head when they check an opponent.
As a reference, CBCSports.ca is keeping track this season of players who suffer concussions and man games lost as a result as well as suspensions levied by Shanahan.
This list is of those who missed time because of a concussion this season. We have not included Boston Bruins centre Marc Savard because he announced in the summer that he won't play this season.
The totals? There were 1,697 man-games lost to head injuries this season. Also, payers sat out 134 games from suspensions with fines totalling $2,468,239.60.
Concussions
75 - Radek Martinek, Columbus - the Blue Jackets defenceman was knocked out of game against Detroit on Oct. 22.
69 - Chris Pronger, Philadelphia - again the Flyers did not reveal until well after the fact that their stud defenceman, who also has undergone knee surgery, suffered a head injury. The team says he will not return this season.
65 - Guillaume Latendresse, Minnesota - the Wild forward collided into the boards and suffered a concussion in a game against San Jose on Nov. 10. He returned to action on Dec. 13, but left the next game after seven minutes with concussion-like symptoms.
60 - Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh - was knocked out of action with a concussion on Jan. 5 and after 320 days on the sidelines Sid the Kid finally returned to action on Nov. 21. However, he suffered another setback on Dec. 5 and has suffered concussion-like symptoms. He returned to play for the second time on Mar. 15.
59 - Patrick Eaves, Detroit - suffered a broken jaw in a game on Nov. 15 against Nashville and hasn't returned to the lineup since because of headaches.
58 - Mike Sauer, N.Y. Rangers - was slammed by Toronto defenceman Dion Phaneuf along the boards on Dec. 5.
54 - Jochen Hecht, Buffalo - was concussed in a preseason game in Germany and didn't return to action until Nov. 23. He then suffered another head injury in a game on Jan. 21 when hit by Blues forward T.J. Oshie.
51 - Andy McDonald, St. Louis -- was hit in a scrum by his own teammate David Backes in a game against Dallas on Oct. 12. He returned on Feb. 12.
46 - Simon Gagne, Los Angeles - suffered a head injury when hammered into the boards by Phoenix forward Radim Vrbata on Dec. 26.
44 - Joni Pitkanen, Carolina - suffered a concussion on Dec. 6 in a game against Calgary and didn't return to action until Mar. 21.
44 - Jesse Winchester, Ottawa - was hit from behind by then Buffalo's Paul Gaustad on Dec. 21. He returned on Apr. 1.
41 - Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Minnesota - The Wild announced Bouchard has suffered concussion-like symptoms on Jan. 10. He broke his nose from a hit by Winnipeg's Zach Bogosian on Dec. 13, but continued to play. He then took an elbow in a game against Vancouver on Jan. 4.
41 - Mark Olver, Colorado - suffered a concussion in training camp and didn't play his first game of the season until Feb. 17.
40 - Nicklas Backstrom, Washington - was knocked out with a head injury after a hit by Calgary's Rene Bourque on Jan. 3. He wasn't back in action until Mar. 31.
40 - Peter Mueller, Colorado - missed last season with a concussion and after three games this year he began suffering symptoms on Oct. 12. He returned on Jan. 12.
39 - Alex Steen, St. Louis - suffered his head in jury in a game against the Red Wings on Dec. 26. He returned to action on Mar. 25.
36 - Marc Staal, N.Y. Rangers - was hit head-on by his brother Eric during a Feb. 22 game against Carolina. He missed the next three games, but returned to action to finish the season and playoffs. He was hampered by headaches in training camp and made his return at the Winter Classic on Jan. 2.
36 - Nathan Horton, Boston - was hit by Philadelphia defenceman Tom Sesito in a game on Jan. 26.
31 - Jay Beagle, Washington -- suffered a head injury in a fight with Pittsburgh forward Arron Asham on Oct. 12. He returned on Dec. 28.
28 - Kris Letang, Pittsburgh - suffered a concussion after an open-ice hit from Montreal's Max Pacioretty on Nov. 26. He returned Jan. 19, but then suffered a second head injury after a hit from Dallas forward Eric Nystrom on Feb. 29 and returned on Mar. 15.
27 - Keith Ballard, Vancouver - He last played on Feb. 7 and was placed on the long-term injured reserve list a few weeks later.
27 - Steve Montador, Chicago - was sidelined with a head injury since Feb. 7. He then returned on Mar. 27, only to be knocked out of action again after a collision with New Jersey's Mark Frayne.
26 - Matt D'Agostini, St. Louis - was hit by Ottawa defenceman Jared Cowen in a game on Feb. 7 and suffered a head injury. He was back on Mar. 31.
26 - Mike Mottau, Boston - left practice on Dec. 30 with a head injury and was taken off the injured reserve list on Feb. 26.
25 - David Perron, St. Louis - took a head shot on a hit from San Jose's Joe Thornton on Nov. 4, 2010 and missed the remaining 72 matches last season and the start of this year. He scored a goal in his return on Dec. 3.
24 - Cody McCormick, Sabres - he suffered a concussion in a game against Montreal on Nov. 14 and returned on Dec. 9. He was out again with a second head injury on Feb. 10 and returned on Mar. 14.
24 - Matt Bradley, Florida - He suffered a head injury on Feb. 19 after he was checked hard into the boards by Anaheim's George Parros.
24 - James Reimer, Toronto - the Maple Leafs maintain that their goalie did not suffer a concussion, but he has missed significant time with concussion-like symptoms after his mask was knocked off by Montreal captain Brian Gionta on Oct. 22. He returned on Dec. 3. Then had another setback on Mar. 27.
23 - Jarod Palmer, Minnesota - in his first NHL game he scored and suffered a concussion on Dec. 29 after he was slammed into the boards. He returned to action on Feb. 26.
22 - Jonathan Toews, Chicago - has been out since Feb. 19 game versus St. Louis. Two weeks afterwards, the injury was finally termed a concussion.
22 - Marcel Goc, Florida - has been missing from the Panthers lineup since Nov. 15 and didn't return until Jan. 5.
18 - Colby Armstrong, Toronto - was hit in the head by Vancouver's Ryan Kesler on Dec. 17, did not disclose the concussion until two days later. He returned on Feb. 1.
17 - John-Michael Liles, Toronto - was hit by Buffalo's Paul Gaustad in a game on Dec. 22. He was back in action on Feb. 1.
17 - Derek MacKenzie, Columbus - was hit twice in a game on Mar. 6 and suffered a concussion.
16 - Jeff Skinner, Carolina - was knocked out of action when hit by Edmonton defenceman Andy Sutton on Dec. 7. He returned on Jan. 15.
15 - James Van Riemsdyk, Philadelphia - was pulled out of action on Jan. 14 after taking hits to the head in back-to-back games. He returned on Feb. 18.
14 - Marco Sturm, Flordia - took a puck in the head while on the bench in a game on Dec. 20. He didn't play again until Feb. 1.
14 - Kris Russell, St. Louis - was sent home from a road trip on Feb. 25 after he experienced concussion-like symptoms. He was playing on Mar. 25.
13 - Niklas Hjalmarsson, Chicago - Intially, diagnosed with the flu. He suffered from concussion-like symptoms and returned on Mar. 9.
13 - Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay - was concussed after he slid into the boards in a game on Dec. 27 and returned on Jan. 31.
13 - Marek Zidlicky, Minnesota - the Wild D suffered a concussion when hit by Columbus forward Derek Dorsett in a game on Nov. 15. He returned on Dec. 14.
13 - Tyler Kennedy, Pittsburgh - troubled by concussion-like symptoms since Oct. 16. He returned to action on Nov. 15.
13 - Arron Asham, Pittsburgh - was knocked out of action on Jan. 19 and he returned on Feb. 18.
12 - Al Montoya, N.Y. Islanders - was run over by Winnipeg's Evander Kane in a game on Dec. 20. He returned as a backup on Jan. 17.
11 - David Ullstrom, N.Y. Islanders - suffered a head injury in the same game Montoya did, but is back playing in the minors as of Jan. 12.
11 - Taylor Hall, Edmonton - was nailed by Calgary defenceman Cory Sarich on Mar. 16.
11 - Scott Gomez, Montreal - was knocked out of action after a hit from Buffalo defenceman Tyler Myers on Mar. 18.
10 - Marcus Kruger, Chicago - was nailed on a hit from Penguins defenceman Derek Engelland on Dec. 20, but played again on Dec. 26. He returned to the sidelines after the Boxing Day game and was back in the lineup on Jan. 14. He then suffered another head injury in a game on Mar. 21 against Vancouver, only to return Mar. 27.
10 - Robert Bortuzzo, Pittsburgh - was nailed by Philadelphia's Zac Rinaldo on Dec. 8. He has since been cleared and demoted to the minors on Jan. 7.
10 - Jay Harrison, Carolina - was knocked out of action on Nov. 23 and returned Dec. 18.
10 - Zbynek Michalek, Pittsburgh - also suffered a concussion in the same game as Letang on Nov. 26. He returned on Dec. 23.
Nine - Daniel Sedin, Vancouver - took a Duncan Keith elbow in the head in a game against Chicago on Mar. 21. Sedin suffered a concussion and Keith was suspended five games.
Nine - Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota - was hit by Calgary's Alex Tanguay in a game on Mar. 22.
Nine - Brayden Schenn, Philadelphia - the Flyers finally admitted the NHL rookie suffered a concussion on Dec. 3 a week after the incident happened. He returned to action on Dec. 27.
Nine - Nathan Gerbe, Buffalo - was hit-from-behind by Philadelphia's Marc-Andre Bourdon on Dec. 7. He returned on Dec. 31.
Nine - Phillip Larsen, Dallas - suffered a head injury in a game against Boston on Dec. 31 and returned on Jan. 21.
Nine - Alex Plante, Edmonton - suffered a concussion when nailed into the boards by Canucks fourth-liner Dale Weise on Dec. 26. He was returned to the AHL on Jan. 17.
Eight - Ryan Miller, Buffalo - suffered a head injury when he collided with Bruins forward Milan Lucic in a race of a loose puck on Nov. 12. He returned on Dec. 3.
Eight - Mike Richards, Los Angeles - was dazed after being hit by Florida's Sean Bergenheim on Dec. 1. He returned on Dec. 22.
Eight - Brayden McNabb, Buffalo - took a hit from Toronto forward Nazem Kadri on Jan. 13. He was out until he was returned to the minors on Feb. 2.
Seven - James Wisniewski, Columbus - was hit the head with a puck in a game on Mar. 18 and returned on Apr. 3.
Seven - Evander Kane, Winnipeg - reported a headache after a Jan. 19 game against Buffalo. He was back in action on Feb. 7.
Seven - Steve Staios, N.Y. Islanders - suffered a head injury in a game against Montreal on Dec. 13. He returned on Dec. 31.
Seven - Francis Bouillon, Nashville - suffered concussion on Jan. 16. After missing 51 regular season and playoff games last year and the first seven matches this season, he returned to action on Oct. 25.
Seven - Theo Pekham, Edmonton - was hit heavily into the boards by Columbus star Rick Nash on Mar. 25.
Seven - Andreas Nodl, Carolina - suffered concussion-like symptoms after a hit from Winnipeg's Zach Bogosian on Mar. 18 and returned on Apr. 7.
Six - Sami Salo, Vancouver - was flipped on his head after a low hit from Boston's Brad Marchand on Jan. 7 and returned on Jan. 24.
Six - Daniel Briere, Philadelphia - suffered a head injury after taking a couple of knocks in a game against New Jersey on Jan. 21. He returned on Feb. 7.
Six - Ruslan Fedotenko - suffered a concussion on Feb. 9 on a hit from Dominic Moore and returned on Feb. 24.
Five - Ben Smith, Chicago - missed the first; five games of the regular season following a hit to the head by Detroit defenceman Brendan Smith in an exhibition game.
Five - Carlo Colaiacovo, St. Louis - suffered a concussion after taking an awkward spill into the boards in the Blues season opener on Oct. 8. He returned on Oct. 21.
Five - Adam McQuaid - hit his head on the ice during an Oct. 12 game and returned to action on Oct. 27.
Five - Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa - the Senators captain was hit by Rangers forward Wojtek Wolski on Oct. 29 and returned on Nov. 11
Five - Milan Michalek, Ottawa - joined his brother on the sidelines when he collided with teammate Erik Karlsson on Dec. 13 and was back in action on Dec. 27.
Five - Brian Rolston, N.Y. Islanders - left his team's game with a head injury in a game against Dallas on Dec. 15 and returned 12 days later.
Five - R.J. Umberger, Columbus - was hit by Anaheim's J.F. Jacques in a game on Jan. 8 and returned on Feb. 2.
Four - Rick DiPietro, N.Y. Islanders -- took a shot off the mask in practice on Oct. 12 and suffered a concussion. He returned on Oct. 25.
Four - Nino Niederreiter, N.Y. Islanders - was hit in the head by Dallas defenceman Mark Fistric on Dec. 3. He was back in action on Dec. 17.
Four - Claude Giroux, Philadelphia - was hit in the head by the knee of teammate Wayne Simmonds in a game on Dec. 10. He returned with a four-point game on Dec. 21.
Four - Shea Weber, Nashville - suffered a concussion on a hit from Dallas defenceman Mark Fistric. The Predators defenceman returned on Jan. 5.
Four - Cory Sarich, Calgary - suffered a head injury when he collided with Colorado's David Jones on Mar. 20.
Three - Carey Price, Montreal - was collided with in two separate incidents in practice and missed the final week of the regular season.
Three - Marco Scandella, Minnesota - the Wild defenceman was knocked out of action with a concussion on Nov. 12 and returned on Nov. 23.
Three - Steve Mason, Columbus - was hit in the head in practice by a shot from teammate Rick Nash on Nov. 21 and returned six days later.
Three - Matt Read, Philadelphia - was hit hard a few times in a game against Carolina on Oct. 29 and reported headaches afterwards. He returned on Nov. 9.
Two - Johnny Boychuk, Boston - was knocked out of action after a hit from Ottawa's Chris Neil on Feb. 25, but returned a few nights later on Mar. 2.
One - Chris Phillips, Ottawa - was concussed on Jan. 2 in a game against New Jersey, but returned on Jan. 7.
One - Daniel Paille, Boston - was hit by Florida's Krys Barch on Dec. 8 and returned on Dec. 13.
Total - 1,697 man-games lost to head injuries so far this season.
Suspensions
Here is a summary of the players who have been suspended this season and the portion of their salary they will lose.
Clarke MacArthur, Maple Leafs: 2 games ($35,135.14)
Brendan Smith, Red Wings 3 ($23,648.65)
Tom Sestito, Flyers 2 ($5,945.94)
J-F Jacques, Ducks: 5 ($17,567.55)
James Wisniewski, Blue Jackets 8 ($536,585.36)
Brad Staubitz, Wild 5 ($9,324.33)
Jody Shelley, Flyers 5 ($67,073.15)
P-L Letourneau-Leblond, Flames 1 ($6,402.44)
Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Wild 2 ($44,108.10)
Kris Letang, Penguins 2 ($37,837.84)
Dan Carcillo, Blackhawks 2 ($8,378.38)
Andy Sutton, Oilers 5 ($57,432.45)
Patrick Kaleta, Sabres 5 ($19,261.64)
Chris Stewart, Blues 3 ($46,621.62)
Andre Deveaux, Rangers 3 ($8,513.52)
Max Pacioretty, Canadiens 3 ($26,351.34)
Jordan Tootoo, Predators 2 ($13,513.52)
Mark Fistric, Stars 3 ($16,216.23)
Kevin Porter, Avalanche 4 ($18,378.36)
Ville Leino, Sabres 1 ($24,324.32)
Andy Sutton, Oilers 8 ($207,317.04)
Milan Lucic, Bruins 1 ($22,072.03)
Rene Bourque, Flames 2 ($36,036.04)
Derek Engelland, Penguins 3 ($9,189.18)
Ian Cole, Blues 3 ($14,189.19)
Raffi Torres, Coyotes 2 ($42,682.93)
Rene Bourque, Flames 5 ($203,252.05)
Dan Carcillo, Blackhawks 7 ($66,158.54)
Brad Marchand, Bruins 5 ($152,439.02)
J.F. Jacques, Ducks 3 ($23,780.49)
Dane Byers, Blue Jackets 3 ($8,418.91)
Andrew Ference, Bruins 3 ($36,486.48)
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals 3 ($154,677.75)
Zac Rinaldo, Flyers 2 ($5,885.41)
Mike Green, Capitals 3 ($85,135.14)
Tyler Myers, Sabres 3 ($14,189.14)
Jeff Skinner, Hurricanes 2 ($9,729.72)
Shane Doan, Coyotes 3 ($166,463.40)
Duncan Keith, Blackhawks 5 ($149,688.15)
Kyle Quincey, Red Wings 1 ($16,891.89)
Nate Prosser, Wild 1 ($3,864.86)
Total - 134 games $2,468,239.60
Tim Wharnsby
Tim's worked the sports beat at The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, specializing in Canada's one true sporting obsession - hockey. He knows the players, the coaches, the backroom boys and most importantly, the fans. That's what he brings to his stories. Knowledge, fairness and understanding are trademarks of a Wharnsby story. That's what you will get here as he writes for CBCSports.ca.
