Stopconcussions

03/10/2026

Oilers will regret not trading for Bobrovsky or Binnington
By Neil Becker

Without question, the biggest takeaway from the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline was that the Edmonton Oilers failed to obtain an established goaltender. Oilers fans know that with captain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, along with defenceman Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard, all in their prime, that the window to win the Stanley Cup is right now. The Oilers, who have a powerful nucleus, have suffered heartbreak two years in a row, losing in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers. In gearing up for this year's playoffs, the Oilers improved their defence by acquiring defenceman Connor Murphy from the Chicago Blackhawks. They also added offensive depth by also acquiring from Chicago forwards Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach. As all hockey fans know, elite goaltending is needed to win Championships, and with all due respect to Oilers goalie Tristan Jarry, that's one area which might come back this coming spring to haunt the Oilers. Jarry, who on December 12, 2025, was involved in a multiplayer deal which saw him go from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Oilers, had several solid seasons with the Penguins before dealing in the past couple of years with inconsistent play and injuries. While Jarry is an above-average goalie who is a two-time All-Star (2020, 2022), the fact is that, as already mentioned, his play has become rather inconsistent, which, during the 2024-25 season, saw the 30-year-old get sent down to the Penguins AHL team, Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins, for a 12-game conditioning stint. Since joining the Oilers, Jarry has had moments of quality play, but overall, he has a 6-5-1 record in 13 games (12 starts), with a 3.96 GAA and a .862 save percentage. An example of Jarry's struggles is a February 25th game in which he surrendered 5 goals on 25 shots during a 6-5 loss against the Anaheim Ducks. A few weeks later, on March 6th, Jarry surrendered 5 goals on 31 shots in a 6-3 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes. According to rumours, at this year's NHL Trade Deadline, two goalies who were available for the right price included Florida Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky, who backstopped them to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2024 and 2025, along with St. Louis Blues Jordan Binnington, who helped St. Louis win the 2019 Stanley Cup. Binnington has won not only the Stanley Cup but also backstopped Canada to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Gold. Apparently, leading up to the deadline, Edmonton were in trade discussions with Bobrovsky, but no trade was made. Before trading for Jarry, the rumour was that the Oilers were looking to obtain Binnington, but nothing came of it. According to Oilers Insider Bob Stauffer, there is some friction building between Jarry and the core group of players. While the Oilers are definitely a strong bet to win the Stanley Cup, they just might end up regretting not trading for one of those two Stanley Cup-winning goalies.

10/11/2025

🧠 Myth or Fact?

“Wearing a helmet prevents concussion.”

❌ Myth: While helmets are essential for preventing severe head injuries like skull fractures or brain bleeds, no helmet can completely prevent a concussion.

✅ Fact: Modern helmets may reduce brain strain under certain situations, potentially lowering the severity of injury in some cases — but the literature is mixed, and ultimately helmets can’t stop all concussions. The brain can still move rapidly within the skull during an impact, causing neural tissues to shift and sustain injury.

Key takeaway:
Always wear a helmet for safety — it plays a major role in reducing the severity of head injuries. But knowing the signs of concussion and getting early assessment and care is what truly protects brain health.

10/08/2025

Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier can't say enough good things about newly-appointed head coach Rick Tocchet
By Neil Becker

It's hard not to detect that excitement in Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier when talk turns to the team's new head coach, Rick Tocchet.
"Already had some really good conversations with him," Couturier said about Tocchet. "Probably more over the last three months than I had over two years with Torts." Couturier, who was drafted in 2011. 8th overall by the Flyers, went on to add, "It's fun to just go back and forth and get to know each other, listen to each other's thoughts on the game. I think we're just trying to push in the same direction; our goal is the same.

There's no ego. He has told me it's not about Rick Tocchet. I'm kind of the same way. It's not about me. We're all about what's best for the team and trying to get this team to the next level." Hockey fans shouldn't be surprised that Couturier took that verbal jab at his former Flyers head coach, John Tortorella, since they didn't exactly see eye-to-eye on certain matters. "It was just alright. I'm not going to lie," Couturier said about his relationship with Tortorella. "I think throughout the last year and a half, and what was portrayed in the media-, there wasn't much of a relationship, I would say.

We didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, and it was hard, but I just tried to work with him and do what's best for the team because that's my job as the captain." One thing that Couturier talked about was communication issues with Tortorella, and that happened during last year's home opener when Couturier, about to start his 13th season, didn't find out until minutes before the game that he was being moved to left wing on the fourth line.

That's just one thing which happened. Two years ago, in the 2023-24 season, during the March playoff stretch drive, Tortorella, without communicating his reasons, benched Couturier for two games, which began a Flyers nose-dive which saw them go 1-8-1 and miss the playoffs. Looking back to the Tortorella coaching era and what went wrong, Couturier was very honest as he replied, "It was almost like the last couple of years, guys were scared to make plays and get pulled off (the PP).

It's not the mentality or philosophy you want to have going into a PP and trying to score a goal," Tortorella's time behind the Flyers bench ended on March 27th, 2025, following a loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs and an incident involving Flyers defenceman Cam York. In April, when asked about the Tortorella firing, Couturier showed why he is such a respected teammate. "If you look at the minutes and stuff, I think it tells you how I was kind of maybe being pushed aside," Couturier said. "It is what it is. Didn't agree with the way I was getting pushed aside, but I was just trying not to be a distraction." He went on to add, "I tried to keep my mouth shut.

Put in the extra effort, get back to where I should be. A lot of it is on me, too. At times, I needed to play better." A big step towards turning things around in Philadelphia is making your veteran captain happy, and like I said earlier, they definitely did that by bringing in a veteran coach in Tocchet, who has coached with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Arizona Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins and for the past 2.5 years, the Vancouver Canucks. Tocchet, who won two Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 as the Penguins assistant coach, also had a solid 12-year playing career where he scored 441 goals and produced 952 points along with 2,972 PIMS playing on the Flyers, Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and the Phoenix Coyotes. As a player, he won the Stanley Cup in 1992 with the Penguins. While the Flyers are realistically quite a few ways from contending and are long shots of making the playoffs, they definitely took a big step forward in hiring Tocchet as head coach.

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07/30/2025

The Ice Hockey Classic is well known for its support of Stop Concussions and raising awareness of the long lasting effects on concussions. In 2025 the Australian leg of the tour is also showing support to raise funds and awareness for Motor Neurone Disease. Several members of the Australian Ice Hockey community are currently battling this devastating illness, including Luke Doré, the son of Newcastle Northstars General Manager, Garry Doré. Luke will be an honorary coach for Team Canada at the Newcastle event.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is the name given to a group of diseases in which the nerve cells - neurones - controlling the muscles that enable us to move, speak, breathe and swallow; undergo degeneration and die. With no nerves to activate them, muscles gradually weaken and waste. The patterns of weakness vary from person to person. MND does not affect the sensory neurones – the nerves that receive messages from things we see, touch, smell, hear and taste.
MND occurs at similar rates in most countries of the world. It is estimated that there are presently more than 2,000 people with MND in Australia. Slightly more men than women are diagnosed with MND, most commonly in the 50 to 60 year age group. However, MND may be diagnosed in adults at any age. The disease has a link to concussions and more research is needed to fully understand the direct cause and effect.
You can help by purchasing a Jersey off the Back of one of the players here: https://gamedayapparelonline.myshopify.com/collections/jersey-off-your-back-july-30

You can also donate directly via the link\QR code here: https://bit.ly/4feb4F2?r=qr

July 30 | 6:30 PM Hunter Ice Arena, Newcastle (USA vs Canada) This is once in a lifetime opportunity to buy the players jerseys off his back and for you and one friend that's attending the game to go down onto the ice after the game and meet your player, have them sign their jersey for you and it's....