NHL captain issues dire warning in regards to concussion safety.

A National Hockey League captain has issued a dire warning.

In a recent article penned for the Player's Tribune, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog shared some very important and heartfelt concerns regarding the severity of head injuries in a contact sport like hockey, and furthermore called on hockey players to end the stigma that prevents players from taking the necessary time to recover from such serious conditions.

From the Player's Tribune:

I was lucky to have some of the best trainers and specialists in the country taking care of me, but imagine a youth hockey player in Manitoba or Florida with the same symptoms — imagine how lost they would feel. The reason I am writing this article is not to dwell on the dangers of playing hockey. In fact, quite the opposite. I want kids and parents to understand the complexity of postconcussion syndrome while also understanding that if you take the injury seriously and allow yourself the proper time to heal, you can overcome it.

We talk a lot about concussion prevention and protocols — and rightfully so. The danger we don’t always talk about, however, is the incredible pressure you feel to rush back after you’ve already been diagnosed with a concussion.

Unlike broken bones, concussions are invisible, and that means that everyone in the hockey community needs to unite and redefine what we mean by toughness and warrior mentality. If we continue to keep quiet, it’s sending the message that taking time to recover is not right, or that it’s a sign of weakness. We have to stand up and speak up.

Anyone who has played hockey at any level knows very well the pressure Landeskog is referring to, and it's pressure that in many cases is, and was in Landeskog's case, often self-imposed. This is only all the more reason to provide support to those individuals who may be suffering from head trauma, unfortunately the hockey world knows first hand what can happen when these cases are glossed over.

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