Archives for October 5, 2011

‘The Martin family went public with the findings because they believed Rick Martin would’ve wanted to raise awareness of the dangers of brain trauma in sports.’

‘”It is scientifically interesting that Mr. Martin only had stage 2 disease at 59 years old, as by that age most cases in our brain bank have advanced to stage 3 or 4. There are a number of variables that we don’t yet understand that could account for this finding, such as lower lifetime exposure to brain trauma, later onset of the disease, genetic risk factors, among others,” Dr. Robert Cantu, a leading concussion expert and a CSTE co-director, said.’

‘“Most of the brains we study come from very symptomatic people whose families donated their brains to find answers for things like dementia, depression or behavioral difficulties, but Rick Martin was not symptomatic,” said Dr. Robert Cantu, who is also a director at the center and a neurosurgeon for head trauma in sports. “He was living a very rich, productive life and was highly functional.”’

‘“Rick Martin’s case shows us that even hockey players who don’t engage in fighting are at risk for CTE, likely because of the repetitive brain trauma players receive throughout their career,” said Chris Nowinski, a founder of the Sports Legacy Institute at BU. “We hope the decision makers at all levels of hockey consider this finding as they continue to make adjustments to hockey to make the game safer for participants.”’

‘Martin, who died of a heart attack in March at 59, had stage 2 of the disease, with stage 4 being its most severe form. He is the third former NHL player to be diagnosed with CTE but the first who was not a so-called enforcer, the term for players who fight regularly.’

‘The biggest difference is that he (note: the new owner Terry Pegula) invest more. He wants to win the Stanley Cup as we are. If you have such a boss, it’s nice to go to work, to come to the rink. Basically the goal is always to make the playoff and win the Stanley Cup. The goal has not changed, just the way there.’

‘”You have to prove yourself every year in this league, but of course I probably have to prove it a little more this year,” Leino said after the Sabres’ first practice in Helsinki. “But I just want to help the team, so I have to work even harder, and stay hungry, not stop wanting to develop.”‘

‘According to capgeek.com, MacKenzie will make $600,000 in each of his three seasons if he’s with the NHL club. His annual salary will be $65,000 in the AHL.’

‘I think Finns are most commonly very hard workers. They are trust worthy and don’t do too much fancy stuff on the ice. I think it’s a product of how the national team program has been built up, and how we’ve been able to have so much success. We don’t have that many players in the NHL, or playing hockey in general like they do in North America or Russia. That’s how we’ve been brought up. Now they are trying to bring more skill into the program because there are not enough pure players coming. So now they realizing they have to work more on the skills.’

‘Of course, we need to get a good season than the playoffs and staying healthy. Previously avainpelaajiamme has been on the side. As the year progresses, I think we play better. ‘