The NHL’s general managers are meeting in Florida this week to discuss potential changes to the game. Once again, the issue of concussions is at the forefront of the discussions, as GMs and league executives are searching for ways to better prevent and diagnose head injuries. The league has presented a “five-point plan” to reduce concussions — details are available by clicking here — and when talking to reporters in Florida, Kings GM Dean Lombardi addressed another hot issue: making the “stanchions” near the player benches safer. After the devastating hit absorbed by Montreal’s Max Pacioretty and, to a lesser extent, the hit Drew Doughty took in Columbus, it’s possible that teams will look at changing the padding and/or structure of the area at the end of the benches.
“It’s not just the padding,” Lombardi said. “The padding isn’t going to do enough. But there’s a way to do it where, if you round (the stanchion) at the point of contact, there’s less surface to hit and you would roll right off it. I would definitely be in favor of that. That’s a no-brainer for me. Given the speed of the game, to me it’s no different than making guys wear helmets.”
To read more about the topic, check out the Globe and Mail story by clicking here.
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