Nashville Predators’ Shea Weber is Out Indefinitely with Concussion: Fan’s Take
Add another hockey player to the list of victims who’ve had their careers postponed by a concussion.
The Nashville Predators won’t have Shea Weber for an undisclosed amount of time as he recovers from a concussion that he suffered in a loss to the Dallas Stars on December 23, 2011. Weber was struck with an elbow to the head by Stars defenseman Mark Fistric. The hit can be seen here. Fistric wasn’t penalized nor did he receive any supplementary discipline from the NHL.
What makes this scenario even more sickening for Predators enthusiasts was that the incident occurred with fewer than two minutes remaining in a game where the Stars led 6-3. The game was essentially over that point.
One can only hope that Weber makes a full and speedy recovery from his concussion. Pittsburgh Penguins‘ Sidney Crosby hasn’t fully recovered from his concussion and it’s been almost an entire year. There are other instances where players return to the ice almost immediately after suffering the initial concussion.
Fistric is recognized for his hard-hitting style. He’s already had a disciplinary hearing earlier this month for his hit on New York Islanders rookie Nino Niederreiter. That hit can be seen here. Niederreiter suffered a concussion on the hit. Fistric was suspended for three games because his skates left the ice.
The Predators have been enduring injuries that have occurred from hard hits and have resulted in head injuries for much of this season. Roman Josi, Martin Erat, Mike Fisher and David Legwand are just some of those players who’ve missed time during the 2011-12 season.
There’s a chance that this injury won’t have much impact on the Predators. PredsNHL (Twitter) has announced that Predators head coach Barry Trotz is pleased with the progression that Weber has made in his recovery. While he won’t be available for December 28, there is a chance that Weber could be available on December 30.
The NHL must protect their players better. It seems like they’re going to wait until someone gets severely hurt (killed?) before they do anything. Far too many players are getting injured over unnecessary hits. The amount of head injuries must be reduced.
Joshua Huffman graduated from Middle Tennessee State University as a marketing major in 2009. He’s been a Middle Tennessee resident from 1986-1988 and 2001-present. He lived in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin from 1988-2001 and for approximately eight months in 2009-2010 while completing a 20-game volunteer position with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. His favorite sports organizations include the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Cubs, and Nashville Predators. He also follows the Tennessee Titans, his favorite AFC team.
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