a Globe and Mail editorial,

Hockey training camps are in full swing, and jobs are on the line. The rewards for cracking an NHL roster are great, but the long-term consequences may be dire. How many players take to the ice with full knowledge that, when their talents are exhausted, they could be facing a lifetime of pain?

A lawsuit brought against the NHL by former players, now working its way through the U.S. court system, is a reminder of the lingering harm that can come from excelling in a fast, tough sport. The group of 60 players, which includes Bernie Nicholls, Gary Leeman and Reed Larson, alleges that the league did not do enough to protect them from neurological damage caused by repeated blows to the head. Icons we remember as dominant masters of the ice now suffer from memory loss, depression and anger issues – the result, they say, of concussions that were overlooked or underplayed.

It’s tempting to see this lawsuit as a relic of the past, given the medical community’s much-improved understanding of sports concussions, and the care with which they should be treated. The NHL, in tandem with its players’ union, has crafted protocols that require anyone who exhibits signs of a concussion to be examined and tested immediately by trained personnel. This wasn’t the rule 30 years ago.

In reality, competitive players (meaning pretty well everyone who’s made it to the NHL and wants to stay there) will do everything possible to return to the ice after a big hit. In the heat of the moment, no athlete is inclined to think 20 or 30 years down the line, when memories (however foggy) are all that remain.

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