Phantoms dealing with rise in concussions

By Tom Williams

williams@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

Like most hockey fans, Curtis Carr likes the way Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke plays.

“I love his intensity and his work ethic, and I think he’s a good player,” the Youngstown Phantoms coach said after Wednesday’s practice at The Ice Zone. “It’s just that he hasn’t learned where that line is yet.”

On Monday, the National Hockey League suspended Cooke for 10 games plus the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for a flying elbow to the head of New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh.

Cooke’s suspension is part of the NHL’s recent efforts to eliminate shots to the head that have spawned a wave of concussions.

“Until like two years ago, no one would have said anything to him,” Phantoms assistant coach Brad Patterson said. “Guys have come before him and done the exact same thing. Now, there is an emphasis on [stopping] it.”

Carr said agitators like Cooke and the Rangers’ Steve Avery “walk on such a fine line that it’s hard for them not to cross sometimes. If he doesn’t play that way, he probably doesn’t play in the league.”

Carr said the rule changes enacted by the NHL about five years ago to eliminate clutching and grabbing, plus improved equipment are reasons why concussions are up in hockey.

“I feel it’s a sign of sports — bigger, stronger faster,” said Carr of this generation’s pro athletes. “Nowadays, the guys are in better shape.”

Anthony Noreen, the Phantoms assistant coach, cited lightweight equipment.

“The shoulder pads everything — they are like armor,” said Noreen who added that allowing two-line passes also is a factor.

Carr agreed.

“The two-line pass opens up the ice more,” Carr said. “They eliminated the clutch-grab interference-type picks and you’re not allowed to block a guy’s path with your body which means there is no way to slow down the opposition.

“A good one to me is if you are on the forecheck and you chip the puck in, the defenseman can no longer stay in your path to block to slow [the opponent] up,” Carr said. “Which is basically allowing a guy to get 60 feet of steam going to go hit your D harder.

“And now the equipment is much lighter and more protective ... so the guys feel invincible almost,” said Carr who speaks from experience. At age 19 in his final season of junior hockey, Carr was knocked to the ice and suffered a concussion that kept him out of action for more than three months.

Carr said his opponent knocked his leg out “then he kinda pushed down on me while I was up in the air and I hit the back of my head on the ice.

“I missed roughly half of the season but I came back for the playoffs,” Carr said. “I wasn’t allowed to drive a car or anything for like a month.

“It was a concussion. Back then — not that I’m that old but it was only 12 years ago — it was a little bit different how they handled that stuff.

“Years ago, [coaches would say] ‘You got your bell rung, now go.’”

Hockey Canada Perspective’s report on concussions says junior teams like the Phantoms average about 1.5 injuries per practice and games.

Symptoms of concussions include headaches, dizzyness, seeing stars, sensitivity to light, ringing in ears and tiredness.

Signs that a player may have a concussion include poor balance or coordination, slow or slurred speech, poor concentration and delayed responses to questions.

“Our trainer [Brian Patterson] says that they are hard to diagnose, some guys really don’t show symptoms until later on,” Carr said. “It’s a kind of a hot-button topic right now.

“Obviously, anything to do with the head, it’s a good thing to figure out what’s going on,” Carr said. “I’m not saying they are overly cautious.

“I think the medical field doesn’t even know how to handle them yet, there’s a lot of uncertainty still,” Carr said. “We have to be really safe and careful with them. If we have any suspicion, that’s it, the kid sits out.”

Three years ago, Brad Patterson was with the Youngstown SteelHounds when his teammate, Jeff Alcombrack, suffered a serious head and neck injury in a game at the Covelli.

“He was standing by the goal and the guy hit his foot by accident,” Patterson said. “And he spun and fell back and hit the post.”

A stretcher was used to take Alcombrack from the ice.

Asked if it was the worst concussion he had witnessed, Patterson replied, “By far.”

Alcombrack missed the rest of the SteelHounds’ final season but recovered to play two more seasons in the Central Hockey League.

Carr said the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL have had far more injuries than the Mahoning Valley Phantoms did in the North American Hockey League.

“I don’t know if it’s [simply] a rough year for us [but] we’ve certainly had a lot more concussions the past two years than before,” Carr said. “You’re dealing with bigger, faster, stronger players.

“It’s a a positive for our league but it can also be seen as a negative because there are no nights off — every team is good, every team is competitive, every team has a good chance to win.”

This weekend, the Phantoms travel to the Midwest in their race for a playoff spot. They’ll play the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) RoughRiders on Friday and the Omaha (Neb.) Lancers on Saturday. Their next home game will be April 1 at the Covelli Centre against Team USA.

“The intensity level and the competitive level of this league is second to none,” Carr said.