Monday , Feb 17, 2003
Canucks could risk injury with 'brick wall' glass
VANCOUVER - After setting up both Vancouver goals and shutting down the league's hottest line Thursday night against Colorado, Brent Sopel had lots to smile about heading into the weekend. But the real rejoicing started when the Canucks defenceman learned of some recent modifications at the Pengrowth Saddledome.
"Calgary changed the glass?" Sopel asked rhetorically, grinning like a school kid on a snow day. "Yeah, that puts a big smile on my face."
News the Flames had added some spring to their seamless system was enough for smiles all around the Canucks defensive core, but none brighter than Sopel. Since being slammed into the more forgiving glass in Buffalo by 6-foot-4, 225-pound centre Chris Gratton just 10 days ago, he's wondered what a similar collision would have meant in Vancouver.
"If I hit these boards like that I would have been out a while, maybe a month," he said.
As it was Sopel never missed a shift, which makes you wonder why a team that has invested $15 million US in Ed Jovanovski over the next three years is dragging its feet on steps to help ensure he'll stay healthy through the end of this season.
Vancouver is one of just six teams still using an inflexible seamless glass some of its own players have compared to hitting a "brick wall." Even the league's panel on injury analysis cited the glass as a factor in increasing head injuries and recommended it be prohibited, but the Canucks have indicated they won't make any adjustments until next season.
"They've got to do it eventually," shrugged Jovanovski, adding the difference is both obvious and appreciated. "In Buffalo it was a treat getting hit against the boards."
The Canucks, who were originally one of seven teams granted an extension beyond NHL's Jan. 1 deadline to either switch glass or meet a minimum glass flexibility standard, are pinning the delay on a lack of decent alternatives. They're worried about easy breakage of flexible seamless systems; the potential for further injury when the panels separate, creating edges; and the obstructed views of the old acrylic, Plexiglas systems, which require thick stanchions between sections and scratch easily.
"We want to make sure our players are safe," insisted Dave Nonis, director of hockey operations, adding the team is assessing a variety of systems and hopes one still being developed will provide an obvious answer. "But we want to make sure we get the best system possible for players and the fans."
In the meantime, however, the players will simply have to deal with what they have in place, no matter how firmly it stays there.
"It's like a brick wall when somebody runs over you," said Sami Salo, who played in similarly unchanged conditions in Ottawa. "I've seen a couple of nasty injuries on those, myself and a couple of other guys. As a defenceman you get run over a lot of times and the boards they have in Pittsburgh and Buffalo, and even the end boards in Columbus, they prevent a lot of injuries."
With only 50 man games lost to injury this year, the Canucks have so far escaped any of the serious injuries Salo went on to describe. But some have pointed to a Jan. 10 collision between Todd Bertuzzi and Blue Jackets defenceman Rostislav Klesla and wondered if the latter might have missed a lot less than two weeks had the collision occurred against the player-friendly glass in Columbus.
"I know the glass we have here is pretty dangerous," said Canucks winger Trent Klatt.
Although every one of the Canucks' defencemen said they would welcome a change sooner rather than later, none was eager to cause a stir by openly ripping the decision to delay. The visiting Colorado Avalanche defenders, however, hardly hesitated to cast stones at the organization, perhaps finding it easier now that their own glass house has been fixed with a homemade spring system.
"It's a business, keep the money in the bank as long as you can," said veteran Av Adam Foote, drawing a straight line between the $150,000 to $200,000 US price tag and the fact all of the teams yet to switch (Minnesota, Phoenix, Montreal, Nashville and Ottawa are the others) operate under a cost-conscious motto.
The Flames, who still have more work to do in this two-step softening process that for now involves a spring-like system, admit they've exposed themselves to additional costs by switching mid-season. They also admit they might still scrap the whole plan and install a non-scuffing Plexiglas system.
And the fact Maple Leafs coach and GM Pat Quinn, who was openly critical of the old Calgary glass after Mats Sundin separated his shoulder on a fairly routine hit, recently watched Edmonton's Ryan Smyth and Jason Smith leave Toronto with shoulder separations, shows new systems aren?t the end-all, be-all of injury prevention.
Still, all the players asked said it was a "no-brainer" to make the switch. As for obstructed views, maybe Steve Staios said it best when asked by ESPN about the extremely flexible, immensely popular stanchion-and-Plexiglas system in the American Airlines Center.
"In Dallas there are bigger hits, the players aren't afraid to go after the puck faster," he said, noting the swaying glass and noisier hits of the old systems are always well-received. "There's no doubt there's more exciting hockey being played in those buildings."
Safer, too.
Cheers,
Aquaman