The comeback luck of Mighty Duck, Paul Kariya who has suffered 4 concussions finally received a clean bill of health from the director of the brain injury program, Dr. James Kelley at Chicago's Rehabiliation Institute. In Karyia'scase an enforcer has been hired by the Ducks to help keep the star concussion free this season. Some players didn't make a comeback. Recently retired, Brett Lindros, Jim Johnson, Dean Chynoweth, and Pat LaFontaine did not receive the go ahead from Dr. Kelley. In the NHL, violent contact is the result of a violent force environment.
Fans buy into it supporting the kind of unethical behavior that is deemed publically unacceptable.
Grinders, bangers, muckers and enforcers with seven figure salaries can make the job of low man on the ladder look lucrative. There are enough of these objects orbiting the earth 600 to 1000 miles up to cause a violent impact with earth. This isn't science fiction, neither is the life threatening reality a concussed athlete faces when dealing with the trauma of concussion. Factors such as arena size, player size and weight, officiating, rules, equipment all should be evaluated on the basis of player safety, not just fan approval and profit maximization. The violence and commercialism that pervades sports today sadly seems to be the only ticket in town.