Old Hockey Players Wanted

Toronto doctor proposes brain bank to study hockey concussions

Canadian researchers are asking players to donate their brains after their deaths in order to gain a better understanding about head trauma.

The neurosurgeon is leading a team of researchers at Toronto Western Hospital who are asking NHL and other competitive hockey players to donate their brains after their deaths for a new research project aimed at understanding the long-term effects of concussions.

Researchers at the new Krembil Neuroscience Centre sports concussion project will be the first in Canada to search the brains of dead hockey players for the same signs of severe damage recently discovered in the brains of American football players, and normally associated with boxers.

Their work is part of a revolution in the scientific understanding of concussions. In recent years, researchers have gained critical new insights into how the injuries affect athletes' brains, both in the immediate aftermath of a hit – and possibly long after they've retired from the sport.

Source: Globe and Mail