There have been recent references to the near-fatal injury that happened to Elmira's Mike McNamara. Could someone fill me in on why he was hurt so badly? Unless his helmet flew off before his head hit the ice, I don't see how it could have been so serious. I've taken many a hard tumble and the helmet made it a non-issue. Earlier this year, while coaching a youth hockey team (so therefore not wearing a helmet) I was busy yapping and didn't see a puck on the ice, stepped on it and had my feet go out from under me, and landed back-of-the-head first on the ice. Out cold, slurred speach afterwards, still seeing stars 20 minutes later. "You could have suffered brain damage if you only had any," is how my wife describes it. :-) Anyways... so if the guy's helmet flew off, I'll understand, but I'm at a loss if it stayed on. Thanks in advance for the info. Either private Email or posting. Apologies if this was covered before I joined the list or was during an ultra-crunch at work that forced me to skim. ***************************************************** ,-******-, * Dave Hendrickson "Robo" [log in to unmask] * *' ## '* * A Hockey Polygamist and Get-A-Lifer * *## ___##___ ##* * GO BROONS!!! Go Red Wings!! Go LA Kings! * * ##| ___ \## * * GO UMASS-LOWELL!!! Go Maine!! Go BU! * * | |___) | * * --------------------------------------------------* *######| ___ <######* * Although I can't remember ever having an original * * | |___) | * * thought, and am certainly parroting someone who * * ##|________/## * * actually has a brain, these opinions are mine, * *## ## ##* * not Hewlett-Packard's. * *, ## ,* ***************************************************** '-*******-'