Quote:
Originally Posted by PR_Glen
how does removing the red line make defensemen hit players harder? If a forward cherry picks ahead even if he is at full speed the defenseman is never EVER deeper than his own blue line, and if he is even that deep at all they are stationary or skating backwards, not in full flight forward or they would put themselves way out of position. In other words that's not where the hits are happening. They are all either right at centre ice in the middle of transition or just inside the attackers blue line on an even sided rush.
I don't like the red line removal myself, i think it cheats the skill of the game but I know its not a part of the injury problem. Hooking and clutching practically ruined the game in the mid to late 90's, bringing that back would absolutely kill the game now.
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I think it allows the forwards to build up a little more speed coming into the zone so when they do get hit by the defensemen it is at a higher rate of speed and can do more damage. When they don't have to worry about the two line pass they can fly through the zone to get the pass. there are some massive open ice hits in that area, but there are many more where the forward is flying up the boards and gets slammed into them by the defensemen. The faster that forward is going the more powerful that impact is going to be.
I also just read PR_Phils post and he makes some great points about the equipment being more like a weapon these days than a pad.
It is likely a combination of things. Faster, stronger players. Rule changes that allow for those faster players to build up more speed and cause higher speed collisions. Harder, more impact resistant gear that can do damage when you connect with someone's head. The way many of the guys wear their helmets just loose on their heads and the fact that there are a lot of guys out there who want to make a name for themselves as the guy who delivers the big hits and takes people out. It is kind of like the perfect storm.
It is too bad that we don't have solid stats to compare concussions from 20 years ago in the NHL to today. Like others have said, there likely were many, they just went without being diagnosed.