BOCA RATON, Florida (Reuters) - NHL general managers, facing an increase in concussions on the ice, backed away from banning hits to the head but expressed confidence on Wednesday they could make the game safer without a rule change.
The annual general managers meeting broke up Wednesday with nothing more than an urging of officials to apply existing rules more strictly and a promise from the league to impose tougher sanctions on illegal hits.
The NHL's top player, Pittsburgh Penguins Canadian Olympic hero Sidney Crosby, has not played for over two months, since being slammed into the boards during a January 5 game.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, a strong opponent of a universal ban, said he was sure that the agreed tightening of existing rules and a tougher approach to suspensions would result in changes from players on the ice.
"Stiff enough penalties on the ice and off the ice through supplementary discipline do affect player behavior. Players are smart and they do adapt - you aren't ever going to take all the contact out, you are never going to take suspensions out, because a player playing on the edge is going to cross that edge once in a while," he told reporters.
Last March, the NHL introduced a rule banning blind side hits and this week they agreed on a five point procedural plan for dealing with concussions, involving examinations by medics away from the bench in a 'quiet place' and a safety examination of arenas.
"The risk coming out of a meeting where you haven't enacted a rule change is that people say you didn't get anything done - I think we got a lot done and moving forward we will start to address this more aggressively.
"But we don't like in-season changes - it is hard to say to the players, we have done it this way for three quarters of the season and now we are going to change it," said Burke.
BOCA RATON, Florida (Reuters) - NHL general managers, facing an increase in concussions on the ice, backed away from banning hits to the head but expressed confidence on Wednesday they could make the game safer without a rule change.
The annual general managers meeting broke up Wednesday with nothing more than an urging of officials to apply existing rules more strictly and a promise from the league to impose tougher sanctions on illegal hits.
The NHL's top player, Pittsburgh Penguins Canadian Olympic hero Sidney Crosby, has not played for over two months, since being slammed into the boards during a January 5 game.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, a strong opponent of a universal ban, said he was sure that the agreed tightening of existing rules and a tougher approach to suspensions would result in changes from players on the ice.
"Stiff enough penalties on the ice and off the ice through supplementary discipline do affect player behavior. Players are smart and they do adapt - you aren't ever going to take all the contact out, you are never going to take suspensions out, because a player playing on the edge is going to cross that edge once in a while," he told reporters.
Last March, the NHL introduced a rule banning blind side hits and this week they agreed on a five point procedural plan for dealing with concussions, involving examinations by medics away from the bench in a 'quiet place' and a safety examination of arenas.
"The risk coming out of a meeting where you haven't enacted a rule change is that people say you didn't get anything done - I think we got a lot done and moving forward we will start to address this more aggressively.
"But we don't like in-season changes - it is hard to say to the players, we have done it this way for three quarters of the season and now we are going to change it," said Burke.
The annual general managers meeting broke up Wednesday with nothing more than an urging of officials to apply existing rules more strictly and a promise from the league to impose tougher sanctions on illegal hits.
The NHL's top player, Pittsburgh Penguins Canadian Olympic hero Sidney Crosby, has not played for over two months, since being slammed into the boards during a January 5 game.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, a strong opponent of a universal ban, said he was sure that the agreed tightening of existing rules and a tougher approach to suspensions would result in changes from players on the ice.
"Stiff enough penalties on the ice and off the ice through supplementary discipline do affect player behavior. Players are smart and they do adapt - you aren't ever going to take all the contact out, you are never going to take suspensions out, because a player playing on the edge is going to cross that edge once in a while," he told reporters.
Last March, the NHL introduced a rule banning blind side hits and this week they agreed on a five point procedural plan for dealing with concussions, involving examinations by medics away from the bench in a 'quiet place' and a safety examination of arenas.
"The risk coming out of a meeting where you haven't enacted a rule change is that people say you didn't get anything done - I think we got a lot done and moving forward we will start to address this more aggressively.
"But we don't like in-season changes - it is hard to say to the players, we have done it this way for three quarters of the season and now we are going to change it," said Burke.
BOCA RATON, Florida (Reuters) - NHL general managers, facing an increase in concussions on the ice, backed away from banning hits to the head but expressed confidence on Wednesday they could make the game safer without a rule change.
The annual general managers meeting broke up Wednesday with nothing more than an urging of officials to apply existing rules more strictly and a promise from the league to impose tougher sanctions on illegal hits.
The NHL's top player, Pittsburgh Penguins Canadian Olympic hero Sidney Crosby, has not played for over two months, since being slammed into the boards during a January 5 game.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, a strong opponent of a universal ban, said he was sure that the agreed tightening of existing rules and a tougher approach to suspensions would result in changes from players on the ice.
"Stiff enough penalties on the ice and off the ice through supplementary discipline do affect player behavior. Players are smart and they do adapt - you aren't ever going to take all the contact out, you are never going to take suspensions out, because a player playing on the edge is going to cross that edge once in a while," he told reporters.
Last March, the NHL introduced a rule banning blind side hits and this week they agreed on a five point procedural plan for dealing with concussions, involving examinations by medics away from the bench in a 'quiet place' and a safety examination of arenas.
"The risk coming out of a meeting where you haven't enacted a rule change is that people say you didn't get anything done - I think we got a lot done and moving forward we will start to address this more aggressively.
"But we don't like in-season changes - it is hard to say to the players, we have done it this way for three quarters of the season and now we are going to change it," said Burke.
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