>     A couple of hours after the evening news,  I started to reflect on what
> I saw.   Not having access to a replay of the incident,  and having turned
> on the news just then by accident anyway,  my memory may be fuzzy.   But it
> seemed to me that the root cause of what happened lay in the glancing
> contact Travis made with an opposing player 3 to 5 feet from the boards.
> In other words,  in "no-man's land",  the most dangerous part of the ice.
> Am I correct,  and if so,  what does that teach us?   It would be good if
> coaches and other experts who have seen the tape in detail could supply an
> analysis for this discussion list.   Just what are the lessons learned?
 
        Asked if he had "adressed the accident at Boston University" with
his team at UMass Media Day on Monday, coach Joe Mallen had the following
response which goes along this line of thought:
 
        "Yes we have. Some of our players were directly affected by it,
who were personal friends with Travis Roy. I think it affects everyone
who plays the game of hockey. It's a tragic incident. It was an accident.
Who knows why things like this happen?
        "One of the things that we did address, that I thought was
important at the time, is that technichally speaking there is a lot more
video and medical information coming out about making contact with the
boards.
        "It aligns with the same things they're talking about in football
with the reduction of spearing and head tackling.It really points to the fact
that if you're going to go into the boards at any point, try to get your
head up, not down.
        "If you see the boards going into the boards the likelyhood of
you having a sprained neck, a concussion or a broken nose are possible,
but not the likelyhood of causing severe spinal damage.
        "That's something I talked to our guys about. How many times have
I seen guys go hard towards the boards and get a skate up to dig into the
ice and jump up before it happens? I told them that if you have that kind
of reaction time you have to think about facing the boards face first if
any sort of colision is going to happen.
        "It could save somebody's life. Some of [the players] might think it's
kind of corny but its not because obviously it's a tragic situation and
our prayers are with Travis at this time."
 
        Also along the "no-man's-land" note, if any of you have a copy of
Don Cherry's Rock 'em Sock 'em 6 he offers a five minute segment
following the credits on safety and how to play the game "the Canadian
way." Two of the points he highlights for preventing injuries are 1)
always going into the boards with your head up and 2) to stay away
from no-man's-land. Always be either against the boards or way the heck
away from them. When you're within 3-6 feet is when the majority of
serious injuries (like Travis') occur. Seperated shoulders and broken
necks are more common here than on any other part of the ice.
 
 
Leigh
[log in to unmask]
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.