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E&C Democratic Leaders Urge NHL to Reduce Risk of Head Injuries & Make Game Safer

October 6, 2016

Request Information on Policies to Prevent & Treat Concussions

WASHINGTON, DC – With the National Hockey League (NHL) 2016 season set to begin next week, four leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today sent a letter to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman urging the league to take a more active role in reducing the risk of head injuries and concussions and make the game safer.

Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Gene Green (D-TX), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) also requested information on the NHL’s policies and procedures to prevent and treat concussions and related head injuries.

Recent studies have found that professional hockey poses a risk of head injury to its players during the normal course of play. NHL players also face heightened risks of head trauma during in-game fights. Research shows that concussions account for 15 to 30 percent of all hockey head injuries.

There is significant scientific evidence to support a link between the types of concussive and subconcussive hits inherent to the game of hockey and brain damage. Repetitive hits to the head can have cumulative, long-term effects on brain function and physiology and can lead to long-term neurological effects—including the development of degenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

“Given the greater awareness of the risks posed by repetitive head injuries – as well as the advancing science – the NHL must do its part to reduce the risk of head injuries and to make hockey, at all levels, a safer game,” wrote Pallone, Green, DeGette and Schakowsky. “We urge the NHL to take a more active role in setting clear policies that bolster player health and safety.”

Last year, Bettman praised the league’s player-safety measures as the “most proactive” of professional sports, but the NHL still relies heavily upon players to self-report concussion symptoms rather than proactively assessing and monitoring player health as they do in Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and U.S. Soccer.

Writing that the publicly available information about the NHL’s concussion policies raises concerns, the four Committee Democratic leaders asked the Commissioner to provide information on the league’s policies and procedures, including:

  • How will the NHL’s new concussion protocol for the 2016-2017 season differ from earlier policies? Who is responsible for implementing and enforcing the concussion protocol during practices and games? What is the penalty if a team fails to enforce the concussion protocol?
  • How does the NHL document diagnosed concussions both in games and practices?
  • What recent rule changes have been implemented to reduce the risk of head injury?
  • In 2011, the NHL broadened its rule prohibiting illegal hits to the head. What led the NHL to impose more stringent penalties regulating head contact?
  • What new programs, initiatives and protocols is the NHL considering for the 30 NHL teams and its affiliated development leagues to protect players from the risks of repetitive head trauma?
  • How does the NHL work with youth hockey leagues to ensure players and parents understand the risks posed by the game?

A copy of the letter is available here.

Issues:Health