Columnist: Seabrook Should Have Been Taken Out Right Away

April 20, 2011 5:55 AM

Brent Seabrook (Photo Credit: Getty Images, By: Jonathan Daniel)

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VANCOUVER (CBS) – A Vancouver columnist is taking the NHL to task after the Blackhawks’ Brent Seabrook took a hit to the head Sunday night.

Seabrook was injured Sunday night during Game 3 in the Blackhawks’ Western Conference Quarterfinals series against the Vancouver Canucks. He took a hit to the head from Raffi Torres, in what many, including Seabrook, thought should have warranted a suspension.

However, no such suspension was handed down for Torres.

And two days later, Vancouver Sun columnist Cam Cole took the NHL to task, claiming Seabrook should have been taken out right after suffering the head injury. Seabrook was back on the ice within 26 seconds, and for another shift afterward, before being sent to a 15-minute examination in a “quiet room” during the period break, Cole reported.

Seabrook was cleared for play during most of the third period, yet had to sit out Game 4, Cole reported. But Cole said Seabrook suffered a concussion, and the NHL took the wrong action.

“It’s not supposed to happen this way,” Cole wrote. “The protocol is there to protect the brains of players from further scrambling after a suspected concussion, but in this case, it failed to detect the problem. Like the Sidney Crosby concussion, symptoms either didn’t appear, or were not divulged by the victim, until long after the fact.”

After losing three straight, the Blackhawks won Game 4 against the Canucks 7-2 Tuesday night. Vancouver still leads 3-1 in the first-round series that heads back to the Rogers Arena for Game 5 on Thursday night.

Columnist: Seabrook Should Have Been Taken Out Right Away

Denver Deadite

What proof has he got that Seabrook suffered a concussion? He left the ice after the second Torres hit, which could have been a shoulder injury.

Maybe this columnist should have a bigger fit with the fact that the NHL didn’t suspend Torres (again) for the hit to the head.

Or the fact that the Canucks didn’t even want to play hockey last night, but instead acted as if they were in a back alley brawl.

Maybe this writer could show some consistency, at the very least?
Dean Farley

Consistency from a Canuck? Yeah right, “if we can’t beat you fair, we’ll send out our goons to beat you up”. After watching the all the cheap shots in the first 3 games, it’s a wonder there hasn’t been more injuries.

Torres should have gotten 8 games for that hit. I saw his hit on Eberly that got him 4… and his hit on Seabs was almost identical. He obviously didn’t learn his lesson from 4 games so give him 8.

I’d like to see some consistency from the league. For the past few months they have been spouting about cleaning up the hits to the head and now this is nothing more than a back-peddal on thier part to avoid making the team holding the President’s trophy look bad. What a joke!