Ken Dryden: NHL needs to penalize all hits to the head

Hall of Famer and Montreal Canadiens legend Ken Dryden is calling on NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to get serious about head injuries.

In a piece penned for The Players' Tribune, the former goaltender writes the time for taking action to prevent concussions is now, and Bettman needs to take immediate and decisive action to curb brain trauma incurred during the course of play.

And the solution is not complicated, he argues.

"We need only to penalize all hits to the head, because whether a blow is from a stick, an elbow, a shoulder, or a fist, whether it's done intentionally or accidentally, whether it's legal or illegal, the brain doesn't distinguish."

Dryden adds there would be an adjustment period as players get used to this proposed new normal, but that players and coaches will adapt "almost instantly."

Change is needed to protect players present and future, Dryden adds, and every day that passes without action is a missed opportunity to do the right thing.

"Players will continue to suffer life-changing injuries that they don't need to suffer, and more parents of would-be players will decide their kids will play something else," Dryden writes.

"No hits to the head - no excuses."

The full piece can be read here.

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