Video: Ole Kristian Tollefsen Hits Lubos Bartecko

In one of the scariest moments in hockey since Clint Malarchuk’s throat was cut by a skate, Slovakia’s Lubos Bartecko lost his helmet and struck his head on the ice following a vicious elbow from Norway’s Tollefsen.  A massive amount of blood began leaking from the back of Bartecko’s head as training staff rushed onto the ice to treat him. A frightening moment in what has been a rather exciting Olympic hockey tournamanet thus far.

The good news is that Bartecko is said to be recovering and not suffering from any major injuries, but did suffer a concussion on the play and is not supposed to be in the lineup on Wednesday.

The bad news is that the barrage of checks to the head continues from NHL players this season (Tollefsen is property of the Detroit Red Wings).

I think Puck Daddy wrapped it up best here:

Tollefsen received 25 minutes in penalties, including a match penalty for “Checking to the Head and Neck Area” and a five-minute major during which Michal Handzus(notes) and Marian Gaborik(notes) scored for Slovakia. It was a reprehensible head shot from the recent Detroit Red Wings acquisition.

Headshots, Injuries and a Possible Solution

Very early in the 2009-2010 NHL season we have already experienced more controversy about head shots, more injuries to star players, and with that comes more speculation about what the league can do in order to protect players without sacrificing the excitement of the game.

The league’s players are getting bigger, stronger and faster at an astounding rate. With that, we look at the general principles of physics which says that Force equals Mass X Acceleration (F=ma).

Update: From Kevin in the comments

F=MA is the amount of force required to get an object moving, once the object is moving it requires less effort to keep moving (just like skating… it’s harder to start than keep moving). The real issue today is momentum: Mo=MaV. Mass times Velocity. Today’s players are both bigger and faster. So the momentum they generate is huge.

That’s just science, but it’s not rocket science, and this is hardly the first article to demonstrate this fact. However, what nobody is talking about it is the fact that these larger players, moving at higher speeds, are contained on an ice surface that has stayed constant.

To the previous point, if we now have larger objects (players) moving at greater speeds in a confined space, we are bound to have more collisions – intentional or not.

If we can now conclude that collisions in today’s NHL Are more frequent and are occurring with a greater force, can we not reasonably conclude that there would be more injuries?

Of course we must account for the fact that these larger, faster players should be in better condition to withstand collisions of a greater force. However, in the case of head injuries there is no way to “strengthen” the skull with increased off-ice training.

So, What’s The Solution

I think we would be naïve to believe that the NHL is not looking at every feasible solution to protect the players. However, this article will present a rather novel approach…use the existing rules!

If we take a look at the latitude/interpretation currently available in the following two rules in the NHL rulebook, we have our proposed solution.

1.) Rule 42 – Boarding

A boarding penalty shall be imposed on any player or goalkeeper who checks an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards. The severity of the penalty, based upon the degree of violence of the impact with the boards, shall be at the discretion of the Referee. This could include a minor, major, and/or match penalty.

Of course this is a judgment call by the official.  But, so was hooking and holding prior to those existing rules being enforced in the ‘new’ NHL.
2.) Rule 43 – Charging

Charging shall mean the actions of a player or goalkeeper who, as a result of distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any manner. A “charge” may be the result of a check into the boards, into the goal frame or in open ice.

Looking at the Charging rule, based on the judgment of the official, any bodycheck could theoretically be called ‘Charging’.

Applying the Current Rules

According to the NHL rulebook  a Minor, Major, Match, and/or Game misconduct can be called using either the Charging or Boarding rules. In addition, the current rules also allow for the imposition of fines, suspension and supplementary discipline based on either penalty.

Therefore, a more strict recommendation by the league to the officials with regard to the application of the aforementioned rules could encompass nearly all hits that are deemed to be too violent to have a place in the game.

Training the NHL officials to call the charging and boarding rules more stringently could provide a solution that is not as drastic as some other proposed solutions (like increasing the size of ice surface for instance).

This proposal would take no more effort on behalf of the league than the changes made to reduce the clutching and grabbing a few years ago. Yes, that certainly took some time to get used to, but most would agree that the game is now better for it.

The rules are already in place to protect the players from violent hits that have caused serious injury to so many, all the league has to do is enforce them.

As always your suggestions and comments are encouraged!

Mike Richards Hits David Booth

Last night Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers leveled an unsuspecting David Booth with a shoulder to the head and knocked Booth out.

In my opinion the hit was not a charge and certainly was not elbowing. Richards squared up and led with his shoulder and followed through on a hit to Booth, who had just made a drop pass. Booth wasn’t looking and Richards made him pay. This is a prime example of the need to keep your head up and not admire your pass.

Yes, Richards hit Booth in the head with his shoulder. Now, was it intentional? I would say no. However, intentional or not, the NHL must get serious about cracking down on hits to the head for the safety of the players.

Here is the video of Mike Richards’ hit on David Booth

Update: Bill Daly has just informed the media that there will be no suspension for Mike Richards in relation to this incident.

Players have been getting hit in the head for years in the National Hockey League. This is nothing new.  However, what is new is the force at which players are being impacted. Players are bigger and faster than they were ten years ago and the laws of physics still apply.  The larger the mass is and the higher velocity at which it travels increases the force of the impact.

Cascade M11 Helmet – The Messier Project

Mark Messier has teamed up with Cascade to launch the newly designed Cascade M11 Helmet.  The helmet uses the same Seven technology as the previous Cascade CHX helmet (which we talked about back in 2007).  However, the largest drawback of the CHX was that it wasn’t  a very stylish helmet.

The Cascade Seven technology uses “lateral displacement technology” to provide the protection of two helmets in one. The theory is that the M11 helmet protects equally as well against concussions as it does against catastrophic hits.

From CHX to M11:  The Re-design and Re-launch of the Cascade Helmet

Messier was brought on board by Cascade as an adviser to assist in upgrading the areas where the CHX lagged and to make a more desirable helmet by player standards. He brought his knowledge of player expectations to the table and provided Cascade with a design that would be more acceptable to players by addressing style, comfort, weight and ventilation.

We knew about Cascade and the major advancements they had made with the CHX helmet over two years ago.  However, even technology with the potential to save careers and possibly lives,  needs the proper promotion.

That said, the following video outlining the new promotional campaign and showcasing the newly designed M11 helmet was just released.

Credibility is Key

As Messier commented on a conference call yesterday:  “The helmet needs players in the NHL to wear it in order to obtain credibility as a product”.

According to Messier, we can expect to see more than 5 NHL players using the Cascade M11 helmet in the 2009-2010 season and it is possible that we may see the entire NCAA Harvard University hockey team wearing the M11 helmet as well.

The projected release date for the M11 helmet is sometime this fall (2009) and the price point for the helmet is expected to be $119.99 USD without a cage.

Messier’s Involvement with Cascade Sports

Messier now sits on the Cascade board of directors and acts as a liaison to hockey organizations, helping to promote the M11 helmet and educate hockey players on the effects of concussions as part of The Messier Project.

Mark’s sister, Mary Kay, is the Vice President of Business Development for Cascade and also Mark’s manager. She reported to CBC back in March about the upcoming promotional campaign for the new Cascade helmet (A.K.A Messier Project ) – although we didn’t know the name of the project at the time.