from Bill Graveland of the CP at the Vancouver Province,

In the first few years after his retirement, former NHL defenceman Jamie Macoun would talk about the knee, ankle and back injuries he suffered during a rugged 1,128-game career.

But in the past decade, he has become more concerned about the residual effects of head injuries.

"If you talk to my kids, they say I have some damage. I can't remember their names. I can't remember my dogs name for crying out loud," Macoun said Monday as the federal government announced funding for new research on concussions with a focus on improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the injuries in children and youth.

"If this research had been done 25 years ago where would we be now?"

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