Report: NHL Sets New Rules For Concussions
BOCA RATON, Fla. (CBS) -- The NHL has set new rules for treatment of concussions, according to a published report.
The New York Times reported Monday that under the new protocol, NHL players who show signs of a concussion will be taken away from the bench area, and must be examined by a doctor in a quiet room removed from the ice.
The NHL also released statistics indicating that 14 percent of concussions suffered by players this season were caused by "legal head shots," the New York Times reported. Officials said 26 percent of concussions were caused by accidental events such as falls or collisions, and 8 percent were caused by fighting, the New York Times reported.
Head trauma in professional hockey took center stage last week – when reports showed former Blackhawks enforcer Bob Probert had suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by head trauma.
In Probert's case, fighting was blamed for the condition. Probert died of heart failure in July of last year at the age of 45.
