Hockey Canada announced the launch of their concussion awareness apps for tablets and smartphones on Thursday and Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby has made his support of it known.
The apps are free, available in both English and French, and there are versions intended for both kids and adults.
“This app has a variety of very useful information on concussions for parents, players, officials and volunteers,” said Hockey Canada president and CEO Bob Nicholson. He added that the apps will give you “concussion information on prevention, rules, symptoms and ‘return to play’ protocol at your fingertips.”
Crosby unfortunately has firsthand experience with concussions. He has been limited to 63 regular season games over the previous two seasons because of concussion problems.
“I feel very fortunate that hockey has been part of my life since I was very young and admire Hockey Canada’s commitment to educating families and players about all aspects of the game,” said Crosby. “It is important to always give your best effort and yet always be respectful of everyone on the ice. Be smart, stay safe and have fun.”
Preventing concussions has been a key focus on the NHL for years, but we’ve also seen a sizable number of players suffer from them over the last few seasons alone. In addition to Crosby, Chris Pronger, Marian Hossa, Jonathan Toews, Marc Savard, and Marc Staal are just a few of the examples of players who have experienced or are still recovering from concussions.