Concussions Up Close and Personal

Every time someone gets clocked in the head, the debate rages anew.

For every guy who believes a shoulder to the jaw is part of the good old hockey game, there's another in a rage over the NHL's headhunting culture.

For every call for a rule change, there's another voice saying the players just need to keep their heads up.

For most of us, it's an armchair debate.

Keith Primeau offers a more personal and more sobering perspective:

"I know I'll never be 100 per cent again. I know that time doesn't heal this. In my case, it's inevitable. I don't live in fear of the future, but I recognize the damage I've done to my brain. I force myself to get up every morning, force myself to deal with everyday life. When you can't do that, it means you've succumbed. And I'm not prepared to do that."

At his best - like in the 2004 playoffs - Primeau was everything you could want in a leader, scorer, basher and crasher.

He retired in 2005 with post-concussion syndrome, aka permanent brain damage.

Primeau is fighting though another periodic down-cycle of depression and headaches -- even as he coaches his sons.

"If I'm going through a mood swing, they ask me if my head is bothering me," says Primeau, who's coaching four teams in his area. "Otherwise, they know I don't play because of post-concussion syndrome. Not being able to see it, they're oblivious to some of it. But we don't let it take control of our lives."

There's much more in this wide-ranging article by Bruce Dowbiggin of the Calgary Herald, which effectively condemns the NHL's approach to head injuries.

How convincing is the evidence on concussions? According to a former Calgary Flames physical therapist, the risk of becoming the next Keith Primeau is so real that letting kids play contact sports could be called "negligent parenting."

Not what an oldtime hockey guy like PJ Stock wants to hear. Or the NHL Players' Association, for that matter.

Postscript: An unscientific poll by TSN.ca says NHL players and GMs are divided on the issue.

Photo: Primeau takes a hit to make a play in 2004 (Harry How/Getty Images)