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Number of concussions has ‘stabilized’ compared to 2010-11

Sid Crosby

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby skates during practice in Sunrise, Fla., Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. Crosby skated with his teammates for the first time in more than a month on Friday but still has no idea when he’ll be cleared to practice, let alone see action in a game. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

AP

Although concussions have certainly made a big impact this season, the number sustained is on par with what we saw during the 2010-11 campaign.

“What I can say is we’re continually looking at all ways to bring this number down,” NHL vice president of hockey operations Kris King said. “The fact that it stabilized after a huge increase from two years ago is a positive I think.”

The NHL won’t release the exact figures, but the number of concussions jumped from 2009-10 to 2010-11. King credited the NHL with doing a good job of diagnosing concussions as part of the reason the numbers are high.

Unfortunately, there have been quite a few high profile concussion cases this season. In addition to Sidney Crosby’s long road to recovery, we’ve also seen Jonathan Toews, Claude Giroux, Jeff Skinner, Ryan Miller, Chris Pronger, and Kris Letang suffer from concussions or concussion-like symptoms at some point this season. Then of course, there’s Boston’s Marc Savard, who hasn’t played since Jan. 22, 2011.