The NHL general managers took on the topic of head injuries in the wake of several high profile concussions in the game over the past year - including the continued suffering of Boston Bruins center Marc Savard and defenseman Zdeno Chara's controversial recent hit on Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty.
At the NHL General Manager meetings in Boca Raton, Florida on Monday, commissioner Gary Bettman presented a plan for head injuries to GMs. According to the CBC, Bettman was adamant about installing a new protocol for concussions that would make players pass a doctor's baseline test before reentering a game after a headshot. Previously, team trainers would evaluate players on the bench and make a determination from there. Bettman's plan also takes the player off the bench and to a quieter area to be examined.
Other parts of the plan involve equipment modifications, the elimination of seamless glass, and fines for teams with the highest number of suspensions. Bettman sees the plan being accepted by the league's GMs by the end of their three-day meeting.
The GMs will take some time this week reviewing the differences and definitions of legal and illegal hits.