Head Trauma: Unlearned Lessons From Pospisil Suspension

By now you know Flames winger Martin Pospisil wasn't on ice for Calgary's game Thursday at Tampa Bay, and won't be Saturday at Florida or Sunday at Carolina.

The NHL Department of Player Safety issued a three game suspension to Pospisil for boarding Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn head-first into the glass on Monday.

NHL DoPS could have levied the same punishment for Pospisil's earlier ugly hit against the Kraken's Adam Larsson. Coach Dave Hakstol called both "garbage" and "as bad as you get."

Dunn was sent back to Seattle for further testing before Tuesday's Kraken game in Winnipeg. Don't be surprised if he's held out of Friday's rematch with the Jets, and beyond.

Hakstol made a hugely important point, that neither Dunn nor Larsson had any way to prepare or protect themselves from the hits which caused head contact. Listen why in our Kraken Reaction video.

Pospisil Had Six Reasons To Know Better

Much media hand-wringing was done after the twin reckless plays - on Pospisil's behalf. Not so much for the suspension itself, as because of the Slovakian's own concussion history.

One sample headline, from The Athletic : "Martin Pospisil and the balancing act of being physical while protecting himself."

You see, they correctly reason opponents won't appreciate cheap shots against their teammates. When they exact retribution, like Tye Kartye did on Monday feeding uppercuts to Pospisil, the Calgary forward won't even drop his gloves - worried about a seventh concussion.

That's right. Pospisil has already sustained a half-dozen concussions.

Sportsnet wrote about the scary first one. "A few games into his AHL career he was served up a painful life lesson in a fight with Colby Cave that finished with the rookie being knocked unconscious with a blow that sidelined him almost three months."

At this point it's reasonable to wonder if that fight with Cave also permanently knocked the empathy out of Pospisil.

Empathy means showing care to those going through, or who might go through, the same circumstances you have. Canucks fans, without a Stanley Cup since 1970, can empathize with Sabres fans, also without a Cup since 1970.

"It Was Pretty Tough Mentally"

Pospisil's own concussions have been precipitated by a style one columnist described as "rambunctious." Pospisil's description of one such brain-scrambling is nothing short of horrifying.

"Lights were bothering me, and driving, and I was like, ‘wow, nothing is changing.’ It was pretty tough mentally. I was reading about concussions, and how they ended a lot of careers."

The willingness to put himself through such trauma a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and who knows how many more times in the future is hard to understand. But accepting the risk for himself is at least a, no pun intended, conscious choice.

To be clear, we're not talking about accidental collisions which can just as easily result in catastrophic injury.

Instigating Illegal Contact Inconceivable

What's inconceivable is the lack of empathy; the risks he takes, armed with what he's experienced. Pospisil instigating illegal contact when the result could be life-altering head trauma to another player - well, pick your pejorative. Reprehensible? Reckless? Beneath Reproach?

How about all of the above.

I speak all the time with former players, many of whom suffer from cognitive impairment. Most know it. Some don't, or are in denial. But science and first-hand observation has brought us far past the time when ignorance provided even a thin gruel of an excuse.

This isn't really about Martin Pospisil. Far too many players engage in the same conduct. He's just the latest. Whatever the reason - to stick on a roster, to fire up teammates, to make a reputation - is immaterial. The costs, we now know, are too great.

Those who still risk it, and those who still condone it - put simply, they're not using their heads.