Booth, brains and business.

[Red Light Racicot]

Isnt this speculation? What if he's just fine?

[nuck nit]

Concussions Cause Long-Term Effects Lasting Decades

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/256518.php

Monday 18 February 2013

Damage to the brain caused by concussion can last for decades after the original head trauma, according to research presented at a recent AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Annual Meeting.

However, even when the symptoms of a concussion appear to have gone, the brain is still not yet 100 percent normal, according to Dr. Maryse Lassonde, a neuropsychologist and the scientific director of the Quebec Nature and Technologies Granting Agency.

Dr. Lassonde previously worked alongside members of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team who suffered from severe head trauma, undertaking research into the long-term effects it can have on athletes.

The results indicate that there is abnormal brain wave activity for years after a concussion, as well partial wasting away of the motor pathways, which can lead to significant attention problems.

Older athletes who suffered from concussion have symptoms similar to Parkinson's

Among older athletes, the lingering effects of concussion are even more marked.

A recent study was carried out comparing healthy athletes to those of the same age who suffered from a concussion 30 years ago. The results showed that those who experienced head trauma had symptoms similar to those of early Parkinson's disease - as well as memory and attention deficits.

In addition, further tests revealed that the older athletes who had suffered from concussion experienced a thinning of the cortex in the same part of the brain that Alzheimer's affects.

Lassonde added:

"That tells you that first of all, concussions lead to attention problems, which we can see using sophisticated techniques such as the EEG. This may also lead to motor problems in young athletes.This thinning correlated with memory decline and attention decline."

Athletes who return to their sport too quickly following a concussion and subsequently suffer another one are at an extremely high risk of serious brain damage.

[Silfverberg Snipes]

It's not like it's Booth's fault he was put on the ice too early. IMO, our training staff is CONSTANTLY at fault for this. With multiple players. So you can't really fault him for that.

And when Booth first got here, he was playing good. Since then, he has never been healthy, otherwise he'd be fulfilling his contract all well and good. So that's been covered over the last two points.

You know, I get that's he's often injured, but I like his game on the ice.

\what reason do you have to troll every Booth thread with your Booth hatred? (If it's his beliefs or hobbies, don't even bother replying)

I guess there is where you and I will butt heads. I despise his game, ever since I watched him play in his first season as a Canuck I had a bad feeling about him. I knew what type of player he was and the type of players that our team had. Booth NEEDS to be the focal point of a line in order for him to succeed. Having him pinned in a complimentary role on the 1st or 2nd line is the first and most obvious mistake Gillis made when bringing him in. He is a big powerforward with tunnel vision. It's obvious when you actually watch him that he isn't accustomed to dealing the puck to others or engaging in any sort of zone time. When he gets the puck his only focus is getting to the net or getting the puck on net. I could make a movie with all the basic mistakes Booth has made when he finds himself in a bind by himself along the boards.

Long story short, my hate for Booth and basically our entire bottom six stems from the bone headed decision by Gillis to redefine the team after it made the god damn Cup finals.

Injury prone Samuelsson > Injury prone Booth

Lapierre > Richardson

Hodgson > Kassian (in terms of needs for this teams needs now, would be the perfect 2C)

Torres > Any of our bottom six really.

Salo > Garrison (Read the Sedin's perfectly)

Ehrhoff > Any point man currently manning our pathetic powerplay

I guess I'm just bitter, but it's really sad when you think about it.

[Cold Hard Truth]

id rather have Wayne Simmonds.

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Great post! +1.

[Tearloch7]

I think the one thing on which we can all agree is that we should hope Booth plays well when he is back in the line up.

For those wanting him to stay with the team, it will be a vindication of their belief that he is still a very good hockey player.

For those wanting Booth gone, him playing well will make it easier for Gillis to move him elsewhere...

regards,

G.

What? ... a voice of reason? .. how dare you!! .. +1 ..

[JRem]

Thanks for the compliments, everyone. Glad I could spark some positive discussion here.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion-- this piece was never meant to stir a dramatic argument over who is right and who is wrong.

I just thought David deserves some defending. The guy never asked for that head injury and I'm sure if anybody feels frustrated about his lack of production, it's David himself. Every hockey player and athlete for that matter has pride and there's absolutely no doubt that Booth realizes how badly his career has gone in recent years.

There's such a thing called justified criticism. Yes, Booth carries an expensive contract. Yes, he hasn't been performing up to average $4.2 million standards. But one thing I find as totally unfair is when people compare one player to another. People are completely different. Hockey players are completely different. No two players are the same (save maybe the Sedins.. for obvious reasons) and it's perplexing that people can say "Well, both Booth and Ladd have the same contract but Ladd is playing better..." It's an unjustified sort of argument. What do some players have in common? The amount of dollars they make? That might be it.

How many of people out there are working at minimum wage? Probably quite a lot. But I certainly don't expect Worker #1 to have the same qualifications as Worker #2. These kind of comparisons would never fly in most businesses.. But in sports, for some strange reason.. It seems all too common.

Quick Edit: Also, Booth's injury took him out of contention for Team USA for the 2010 Olympics. I'm not sure many people realize that, but as a previous 30-goal scorer who has wheels, the size and skill level at the time, he would have been an easy addition to their roster.

But that's the way she goes..

Very well written. I agree completely on all points.

[nuck nit]

Long story short, my hate......stems from the bone headed decision by Gillis to redefine the team after it made the god damn Cup finals.

I guess I'm just bitter, but it's really sad when you think about it.

I have a real wonder as to how Gillis could screw up the best team in the league in just three years.

The man can sign contracts but certain player personnel judgement decisions have been devastatingly bizarre.

[BI3KSA-]

Honestly the guy has all the tools to be a great power forward in this league. If he can remain healthy and get a little confidence I think he could score 20-30 goals again. If he had the skillset to score 20-30 goals on that Panther team imagine what he could do with the skilled linemates he could have on his line in Vancouver.

That being said, CDC, and Canucks fans in general, have a legitimate beef with him. In the end after all the sappy and emotional "but its just a game" stuff is said and done, he is still making 4.25 million for doing basically nothing for our team and currently, him and his cap hit, is a gigantic hindrance to this cities cup dreams. So for both the fans and David, I sincerely hope he can pull it together and have a solid career for us.

[BI3KSA-]

Umm, no, the CDC trolls do nothing but disrespect and hate Schroeder. He's already the new whipping boy. It seems only a few of us are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

There was a single thread where the guy was asking where the hype for Schroeder came from. That's not a negative "whipping" boy thread or sentiment, its a legitimate question. I see just as many people pencil Schroeder into their 2C spot in their lineups, just as often as I see people hate on him, calling him small etc. Every time anyone even hints at questioning Schroeders ability in any sense, there you are to defend him and exaggerate peoples opinion to the extreme. Why are you so ridiculously sensitive to anything that has to do with not being hopelessly optimistic about Schroeder?

[nuck nit]

Booth is one hit away from potentially turning into a vegetable in his later life.

The man should not even be playing hockey except in a non-contact league with plenty of laughs and camaraderie.

How can there be only superficial brain injury awareness in the Canucks front office/medical staff when this is the most serious injury and issue in all of the game of hockey?

You have an organization that covets a pugilist over their cerebral play maker and to top it off they hire and keep brain injured players (Booth,Hamhuis and Ballard) while offering Daniel a four -year deal one year after a serious concussion.

Grenier,Booth,Jensen,Ballard,Sedin,Hamhuis(4) and the list goes on.

There has to be more pressure coming from the player's union educating the league's teams on this issue and the union has to put in place procedures to protect players from themselves once head injured.

[Cold Hard Truth]

Booth is one hit away from potentially turning into a vegetable in his later life.

The man should not even be playing hockey except in a non-contact league with plenty of laughs and camaraderie.

How can there be only superficial brain injury awareness in the Canucks front office/medical staff when this is the most serious injury and issue in all of the game of hockey?

You have an organization that covets a pugilist over their cerebral play maker and to top it off they hire and keep brain injured players (Booth,Hamhuis and Ballard) while offering Daniel a four -year deal one year after a serious concussion.

Grenier,Booth,Jensen,Ballard,Sedin,Hamhuis(4) and the list goes on.

There has to be more pressure coming from the player's union educating the league's teams on this issue and the union has to put in place procedures to protect players from themselves once head injured.

i agree, Booth does sound like he's one light bump from being a vegetable. hopefully he's healthy and can activate some new found beast mode and stay injury free for awhile.

[Canorcas]

Booth is one hit away from potentially turning into a vegetable in his later life.

The man should not even be playing hockey except in a non-contact league with plenty of laughs and camaraderie.

How can there be only superficial brain injury awareness in the Canucks front office/medical staff when this is the most serious injury and issue in all of the game of hockey?

You have an organization that covets a pugilist over their cerebral play maker and to top it off they hire and keep brain injured players (Booth,Hamhuis and Ballard) while offering Daniel a four -year deal one year after a serious concussion.

Grenier,Booth,Jensen,Ballard,Sedin,Hamhuis(4) and the list goes on.

There has to be more pressure coming from the player's union educating the league's teams on this issue and the union has to put in place procedures to protect players from themselves once head injured.

You raise good points.

I would take a guess and say the reality is, those players basically convince the medical staff that they're okay to play. There's a sense of belonging on the ice from any player and all of them want to help the team win. Think about all the stories they've heard and seen growing up as hockey fans, themselves.

I'll make one example-- Trevor Linden during the '94 Cup run. He didn't suffer a concussion but the guy was basically playing on the brink of collapsing after each shift. But still, he knew what he meant to the team and chose to play every night and probably did so without the approval of team doctors. Although I'll add that club and league policies have likely improved since then.. I assume during earlier generations of hockey that players had more influence than they do now regarding ice time. Nowadays players need approval from various specialists before even being cleared to practice, after all.

[Millerdraft]

Give your hate a rest for a while,Bananas.

Liked what the article brings.What readers may not know is that concussion or head injury damage is cumulative.

I have never understood why Gillis and Gilman .org spent $4.2m on a player with a serious concussion history.

I want Booth to do well and succeed for himself and his mates but his signing shows a deep lack or respect for the medical evidence ,at the best.

The same goes with Daniel.I would have given him the deal and the years but with the provision that he has to sign a series of one year deals.One more serious concussion can end his career.

You may have offered that, but you wouldn't have gotten him signed for that. He's taking on ALL the risk in that ridiculous offer

If you were Daniel Sedin, with a wife and young children, would you sign a deal that risks leaving you with years, perhaps even decades, of PCS complications for a measly $7.5m? Perhaps a guaranteed $30m, on top on the $35m you've already earned, makes it seem more of a reasonable risk because the family would still be well compensated if the worst case scenario ever happened.

[BI3KSA-]

Booth is one hit away from potentially turning into a vegetable in his later life.

The man should not even be playing hockey except in a non-contact league with plenty of laughs and camaraderie.

How can there be only superficial brain injury awareness in the Canucks front office/medical staff when this is the most serious injury and issue in all of the game of hockey?

You have an organization that covets a pugilist over their cerebral play maker and to top it off they hire and keep brain injured players (Booth,Hamhuis and Ballard) while offering Daniel a four -year deal one year after a serious concussion.

Grenier,Booth,Jensen,Ballard,Sedin,Hamhuis(4) and the list goes on.

There has to be more pressure coming from the player's union educating the league's teams on this issue and the union has to put in place procedures to protect players from themselves once head injured.

[nuck nit]

It is appropriate that you should cover your face,Keshniel ,if you have nothing to add to the topic at hand.

If I were Daniel Sedin I would have gone back to Europe and played out my days with Modo,Miller.

If a player the stature of Sidney Crosby would have headed to Europe and played for a few years in a league that relies on skill he may have been the catalyst for serious change in regards to head injuries and player's safety in the NHL.

[BI3KSA-]

Booth is one hit away from potentially turning into a vegetable in his later life.

The man should not even be playing hockey except in a non-contact league with plenty of laughs and camaraderie.

How can there be only superficial brain injury awareness in the Canucks front office/medical staff when this is the most serious injury and issue in all of the game of hockey?

You have an organization that covets a pugilist over their cerebral play maker and to top it off they hire and keep brain injured players (Booth,Hamhuis and Ballard) while offering Daniel a four -year deal one year after a serious concussion.

Grenier,Booth,Jensen,Ballard,Sedin,Hamhuis(4) and the list goes on.

There has to be more pressure coming from the player's union educating the league's teams on this issue and the union has to put in place procedures to protect players from themselves once head injured.

It is appropriate that you should cover your face,Keshniel ,as you have no idea about the topic at hand.

If I were Daniel Sedin I would have gone back to Europe and played out my days with Modo,Miller.

If a player the stature of Sidney Crosby would have headed to Europe and played for a few years he could have seriously initiated change in regards to head injuries and player's safety in the NHL.

What makes you think that you have a better grasp of the severity of Booths current brain health and the risk involved in him playing in comparison to the extremely high end doctors he has visited since his injury? Are you really recomending all those players you listed retire because of their injuries? Or am I misunderstanding you? Cause if you are thats ridiculous.

[Millerdraft]

Fair enough. For most people $40m is more than enough for them and their children.

If I were Daniel, I'd be all over that guaranteed extra $28m ($7m, not so much).

[Canuck or Die]

There was a single thread where the guy was asking where the hype for Schroeder came from. That's not a negative "whipping" boy thread or sentiment, its a legitimate question. I see just as many people pencil Schroeder into their 2C spot in their lineups, just as often as I see people hate on him, calling him small etc. Every time anyone even hints at questioning Schroeders ability in any sense, there you are to defend him and exaggerate peoples opinion to the extreme. Why are you so ridiculously sensitive to anything that has to do with not being hopelessly optimistic about Schroeder?

That's rich coming from you. Every time someone makes a positive comment about Schroeder, people like you come along to shoot them down. Schroeder has shown he deserves a chance to prove himself in this league with us. That's more than a fair assessment.

Funny how you mention exaggerating people's opinions, when you just did it here. I have yet to see anyone who speaks positively about Schroeder act like he is the greatest player of all time. They bring up positives about him because people like you do nothing but focus on negatives.

[BI3KSA-]

That's rich coming from you. Every time someone makes a positive comment about Schroeder, people like you come along to shoot them down. Schroeder has shown he deserves a chance to prove himself in this league with us. That's more than a fair assessment.

Funny how you mention exaggerating people's opinions, when you just did it here. I have yet to see anyone who speaks positively about Schroeder act like he is the greatest player of all time. They bring up positives about him because people like you do nothing but focus on negatives.

Either you don't read my posts or have the memory of a gold fish. I've always said that he deserves a shot with us. I've always said he deserves to show if he has what it takes. But thats exactly it, he has a lot to prove. He isn't a shoe in for 2C like some people think. Man lol at how completely wrong you are about my stance on Schroeder. but coming from you I'm not surprised that you have no idea what my opinion is and just immediately assume I hate Schroeder and think he is a bust.