Category Archives: Uncategorized

A typical hockey helmet. Photo: Andrew Capitelli

As much as this NHL season has presented an array of surprises, there is one horrifying constant: concussions. As of the All-Star break, the league had already diagnosed 71 player concussions.

Many argue the figure is inflated because of the NHL’s strict, yet attentive treatment and diagnosis protocols training staffs are ordered to abide by once a player is dealt a blow to the head. The protocol was new for this season. In the past, players would get hit in the head, feel dizzy and head back on the ice when ordered. But the recent deaths of former players, Derek Boogard and Wade Belak, due to depression issues, have forced the league into mandating the new procedures.

But is it enough?

Following Boogard’s death, neurologists studied his brain and determined he was already showing signs of early dementia at 28 years old. Boogard was an enforcer. Due to limited playing skill, fighting was his only way to crack the NHL. After thousands of fights, his brain tapped out.

St. Louis' T.J. Oshie takes an elbow to the head thanks to Anaheim's George Parros. Photo: Andrew Capitelli

But the most alarming concern is that fighters aren’t the only ones at risk.  The Penguin’s Sidney Crosby, arguably the league’s best player, and Marc Savard of the Bruins, have only played a handful of games in the past year due to battles with post-concussion syndrome.

What else can be done?

Former Flyers legend Eric Lindros, who was forced to retire after eight serious concussions during his career, has become an outspoken leader against concussions in the league. He’s suggested that the game has become too fast and cites the removal of the two-line pass rule as a major problem, claiming due to its absence players are moving too quickly through the neutral zone, endangering themselves and their opponents.

This style elbow pad, with soft padding, is what many in the league are calling for.

Equipment is another talking point. Many, including the retired New York Rangers forward Mark Messier, are calling for helmets that protect players better from concussions. Others believe the size and material of the player’s shoulder pads should be minimized and changed to decrease the impact of shoulder shots to the head.

Growing up being different was always a goal for me. To me having the latest fashion was not the priority, having a unique fashion was. Today that belief is not widely accepted. In the fashion world people wear anything that someone famous and rich does. People try to stay on the safe side of the world.

Being Different

Sasha with "normal" outfit

For the past 10 years the fashion world has not showed a hint of excitement or uniqueness. From designers to “fashion icon”, everything has been an imitation of someone else. I pray to see the day where people will accept the idea of being different as part of the norm. I wish to see where we could all walk around not looking like an exact clone of each other or someone else. I beg to be able to walk down the street and feel like I am my own person. I want to be able to feel that it is ok to be me and no one else.

The Fear I See

Today many are afraid of being alone. Many are afraid of being rejected. We want to look like our friends do. We want to fit in like a perfect puzzle piece. We don’t want to be the person who stands out. None of us wants to carry our baggage alone.

Being Rejected

It makes sense to feel that way because whether we are 15, 25, or 30 years old we want to have someone accept us. However what are we willing to put on the line? Would we have to give up our beliefs? Should we have to lose our values? Would we have to give up our identity? Maybe all of that doesn’t even matter anymore. Today it appears that we are all carrying ONE identity. It seems that we have all become part of the crowd, nothing to give and nothing to lose.

Me with different outfit

I wonder then…does that make anyone who strives wrong or rebellious. Should I not wear my pink fishnet shirt with my black pants and black hand gloves because no one else does? How does one become one’s own view? It would seem that our views have become so confuse that we are only accepted if we all turn a blind eye and become a perfect puzzle piece.