Ongoing issue with concussions

With the problem of concussions becoming more in the spotlight with each injury, one wonders how far the NHL league office will go in trying to curtail the kind of injuries that are putting players out for extended periods and in some cases ending careers prematurely. With the NHL poster child, Sidney Crosby having been out for a couple of months, this could be the impetus for the NHL to take a much tougher stance on what they consider to be blatant hits to the head. The problem is however, that the meting out of penalties has been so subjective, with some players given suspensions and fines while other players escape punishment completely for questionable hits. It seems as if there will always be this element of subjectiveness as there is no cut and dried standard as with offsides, icing, etc.

Hockey, by its nature, is a very physical fast moving game, and things like this are bound to happen. With marquee players such as Mark Savard and now Sidney Crosby sitting on the sidelines, it behooves the NHL to be more pro-active in trying to limit these types of hits and injuries. Still, if the league goes to what may be considered an extreme in issuing suspensions and fines, will it have such profound impact that it might change the very nature of the game?