Epidemic?

Milan Michalek, the NHL goal scoring leader, out with a concussion.
Claude Giroux, the NHL point scoring leader, out with a concussion.
Jeff Skinner, the reigning NHL rookie of the year, out with a concussion.
Sidney Crosby, the best player in the NHL, out with a concussion.
Chris Pronger, one of the best defensemen ever, out with a concussion.

Nathan Gerbe, Mike Richards, Michael Sauer, Kris Letang, Joni Pitkanen, Zbynek Michalek, Nino Niederreiter, Radek Martinek, Brayden Schenn, Robert Bortuzzo, Andy McDonald, Jay Beagle, Peter Mueller, Marc Staal, and Boston's own Marc Savard... all out with concussions.  I got the full list here.

I heard on a recent Bruins television broadcast that the number of concussions is actually down from last season.  I find that hard to believe, although I think maybe the total number is down but the number of all star caliber players with concussions has to be way up.

How do we stop this?  I don't know if we can.  All hits to the head need to be banned.  I think this is out of control to the point where that needs to happen, however it won't solve the problem at all.  Milan Michalek was hit by his own teammate.  Sidney Crosby got bumped up high on a harmless looking play and then later got hit by his own teammate as well.  It could have been either of those plays that set him back, or maybe he wasn't fully healed from last year's concussion.  Who knows.  It's all grey area.

Still... at this rate we're going to be a league of nothing but B-list players.

Lately I've been hearing people talk about the pads the players are wearing.  I guess they are made from a hard plastic, more armor than padding, and that could be causing the increase.  Maybe it's time to go back to pads that are actually pads.  Maybe.  Maybe there's something wrong with the helmets?  Who knows.  All I do know is that it's scary.  Marc Savard and Sidney Crosby seem like the poster children for the issue right now, Crosby because he's the best player in the league and Savard because he's a great player whose career is probably over way before his time.  They aren't the first though.  Pat LaFontaine (sorry if I misspelled that), Eric Lindros, Keith Primeau.  All of them had their careers shortened, or at least derailed, by concussions.

There has to be a way to stop this crap.  There has to be a way to protect these players without taking the aggressiveness out of the game.  There has to be.  Is it the pads?  Is it hits to the head?  Are the players too big for the ice now?  Do we need to play on larger rinks?  What is it?  Someone who knows the game better than I do needs to give us some glimmer of hope here.  I'm tired of seeing players laying on the ice out cold.