TORONTO – A lot of the controversy within the aftermath of Anthony Stolarz’s departure from the Maple Leafs’ collection opener towards Florida centred round whether or not Panthers ahead Sam Bennett ought to have been disciplined for elbowing the Toronto goaltender.
A famend neuroscientist, nonetheless, mentioned considered one of his important issues lies with how the participant’s damage state of affairs was dealt with Monday night time at Scotiabank Enviornment.
“Stolarz was hit within the head twice the place he exhibited doable indicators of concussion and neither time was he eliminated and assessed,” mentioned Chris Nowinski, chief government officer of the Concussion Legacy Basis. “I can’t bear in mind the final time I noticed a participant vomiting on the ice, nevertheless it makes you very involved about what was taking place in his mind and whether or not (he) not solely had a concussion, however a doable mind bleed.
“And I assume the crew was involved sufficient and that’s why he was (taken) to the hospital.”
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube mentioned Wednesday that Stolarz, who had been launched from hospital, was recovering however wouldn’t play in Recreation 2.
The netminder’s masks got here off within the first interval of Toronto’s 5-4 victory when he stopped a shot by Sam Reinhart. Stolarz appeared to shake his head earlier than placing the masks again on and resuming play.
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Within the second interval, he was elbowed within the head as Bennett – who was not penalized on the play – skated by way of the crease space. Stolarz instantly grabbed his head as he fell to the ice.
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A couple of minutes later, throughout a tv timeout, replays confirmed Stolarz leaning over the boards and vomiting right into a bucket. He left the sport halfway by way of the interval and was changed by Joseph Woll.
“A second mind damage after an preliminary mind damage is known to make the damage far worse,” Nowinski, talking generally phrases, mentioned from Boynton Seashore, Fla. “It’s not one plus one equals two, it may be one plus one equals 5.
“You have got chemical metabolic modifications within the mind that make your mind much less resilient to the subsequent damage. That’s the principle motivation why now we have return-to-play protocol.”
In response to the NHL/NHLPA’s concussion and analysis protocol, the identification and elimination of a participant who requires an acute analysis for doable concussion is a club-level duty.
The crew doctor is “solely accountable” for making the prognosis of concussion and figuring out when an athlete could return to play. To help groups, league spotters – each in- and out-of-venue – additionally observe gamers’ behaviour throughout video games to determine those that exhibit seen indicators of a doable concussion.
In an e-mail, a Maple Leafs crew spokesman mentioned “spotters weren’t concerned” in Stolarz’s departure from the sport. It wasn’t instantly clear who made the choice for him to depart the ice.
As is widespread throughout the playoffs, the membership has not revealed damage specifics. After Stolarz was changed, the crew mentioned he was “being evaluated” however didn’t affirm media reviews that he left the world on a stretcher.
One other space of concern for Nowinski was that Stolarz carried out a spontaneous head shake after his masks flew off.
When that motion is exhibited, athletes reported that they had a concussion 72 per cent of the time, in response to a examine Nowinski co-authored that was printed final October within the journal “Diagnostics.”
“The pinnacle shake earlier within the recreation adopted by a blow to the top that causes an athlete to break down face down might improve somebody’s suspicion {that a} concussion has occurred,” Nowinski mentioned. “Both independently with the second affect or cumulatively with each. And there’s no query he ought to have been eliminated and assessed after the second (incident).
“The truth that he was left on the market (to) vomit in entrance of all the world reveals that the NHL was not conservative sufficient of their determination of how you can execute their protocol.”
Messages left with the NHL and the NHLPA weren’t instantly returned.
Stolarz performed all six video games in Toronto’s first-round collection win over Ottawa, posting a 2.21 goals-against common and .901 save proportion.
He stopped eight of 9 pictures earlier than leaving the sport. Woll made 17 saves in reduction.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Could 7, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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