"We've got to slow down the game:" Dionne says in wake of concussions
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| NHL hall of famer Marcel Dionne poses for a quick photo before taking back to the ice in Saturday's Heart and Stroke Hockey for Heart alumni all-star game at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. (RYAN MCCRACKEN / SOMAD NEWS) |
Two feet can make a big impact in concussion prevention, according to NHL legend Marcel Dionne.
Dionne, an NHL hall of famer who played 18 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Rangers, said he thinks the game of hockey has become too fast in an interview before Saturday night’s Heart and Stroke Hockey for Heart alumni all star game at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
“We’ve got to slow down the game, it’s too fast," said Dionne.
The 1980 Art Ross trophy winner said that he believes bringing back the two-line pass rule and adding two feet of extra ice space behind the nets could greatly increase player safety.
"They don’t want to go back on [two-line passes], but they’re probably going to have to.”
Bringing back the two-line pass rule - which was removed from the game under the 2005 collective bargaining agreement - would force players to reduce their speed through the neutral zone, which Dionne said will lead to a decrease in hits resulting in concussions.
“The way it is now usually the forward gets in the corner before the defenceman gets there, and they’re big guys and they plow. They should be slower,” said Dionne. “The ice surface is too small for this type of speed. I played in Europe and I understand what it is, and it makes a big difference to have that extra two feet, believe me. Two feet makes a lot of difference.”
Ice hockey in Europe uses an ice surface that is 10 feet longer and 13 feet wider than the standard NHL rink, which is 200 feet by 85 feet. Dionne’s proposal would give players more room to avoid hard hits into the boards.
Concussions are occurring at an alarmingly high rate this season, as of Dec. 27, 2011 there were 33 NHL players sidelined with head injuries, concussions or concussion-related symptoms.
The most recent concussion related injury occurred on Jan. 23 when Daniel Briere of the Philadelphia Flyers took a hit from New Jersey Devils’ defenceman Anton Volchenkov. (See the hit below).
Dionne said that with the game being as fast as it is, players need to be even more aware of their surroundings in order to prevent injury.
“I was a heads up guy. I watched Briere get hurt last week, he had his head down. You have to be aware, they don’t teach that. You have to be aware of who is on the ice, and it’s luck too, don’t get me wrong, but you have to be aware of who is out there, if you don’t the risk is high.”
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Marcel Dionne talks strategy with a team mate before the puck drops for Saturday's Heart and Stroke Hockey for Heart alumni all-star game at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. (RYAN MCCRACKEN / SOMAD NEWS)
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The onus is still on all players to compete within the rules of the game and maintain respect on the ice, two things that the two-time Lady Byng trophy winner said the NHL will need to see more of in order to maximize player safety.
“I played by the rules. What are the rules? If you do something you get penalized for it, but then did I ever elbow someone they way where they extend? I’ve never done that, where does that come from?” Dionne said, referring to incidents such as ex-Calgary Flame Rene Bourque’s elbow on Nicklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals on Jan. 3. Bourque received a five-game suspension for the hit. (See the disciplinary video below).
“When a guy does that, it’s either he’s frustrated or something happened, but that’s where he should be punished for that. The players that see it, their own team mates see it and know it has no reason to be there.”
