The concussion discussion

There is something that has been bothering for about two years now with the NHL trying to crackdown on concussions. Lately I've paying attention to little details about the pictures Yahoo! puts up everyday (as that's where i go to  watch the box scores) and a cause of this concussion problem has been jumping at my face every day: More and more players do not wear their helmets properly. I'm not going to post a bunch of pictures because frankly I haven't done it and I gotta get to bed so I'm not about to try and figure it out, however I just looked up in game pics of 7 players. Joe Sakic, Forsberg, Raymond B., Rob Blake, Paul Kariya, Crosby, and Malkin. Super Joe, Foppa, Ray, Blake, and Malkin all had one thing in common: Tight chin straps. Yes during warm up pics some of them had their straps loose but once game time came they tightened their straps. Now Kariya (lost track after 9 concussions) and Crosby (welcome back, but I still hate you...and you are ugly) is different. During game time their straps are loose. Crosby's is ridiculously so. I mean you can fit 4 fingers in his strap.

Now I know a helmet will not prevent all concussions. I just got a mild one last week being hit on the cheek with a bottle of Wheat Germ. However, It is my belief that if a rule was to be instituted about chin straps we'd see at least a 40% decrease in concussions. Now I know many of you stat people are thinking: "40%? Prove it!" Let me say now, 40% is my estimate, its not scientific and I will not prove it.

I do find it very alarming that if you scan through recent game day pics on sports sites that more and more players aren't tightening their chin straps. This will lead to more concussions from double impacts. First impact and then the second impact when the helmet moves or flies off.

So my thinking is to institute a ten minute game misconduct penalty for improper safety gear (OSHA's everywhere else for crying out loud) and a fine when refs see players on the ice during games with loose chin straps. Doing this would make the stars care more about their safety so they don't get booted from games but it wouldn't effect play with a power play or anything and a simple fine doesn't mean much to someone making 11 mil a year. I mean, you never know, if Crosby cared about wearing his helmet properly would he have been concussed? Why has no one in the hockey media even brought up that his first game back he was playing with his ever present , ridiculously loose chin strap?

I think its a possible solution to a big problem that will not force them to make more changes to the game. What say you?