![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/NSJ_B1.Hurricanes.AP_-1-678x381.jpg\" "\\"Capitals")
\nHurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen lays on the ice after a collision with teammate Jordan Staal during the third period of Carolina\u2019s 4-1 loss to the Capitals on Nov. 11 at Lenovo Center. (Karl DeBlaker \/ AP Photo)<\/p>\n
\nHurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen lays on the ice after a collision with teammate Jordan Staal during the third period of Carolina\u2019s 4-1 loss to the Capitals on Nov. 11 at Lenovo Center. (Karl DeBlaker \/ AP Photo)<\/p>\n
RALEIGH \u2014 The NHL, like most professional sports leagues, has toed a delicate line with concussions, realizing that a flat-out denial of the impact of head injuries in hockey is no longer a reasonable defense.<\/p>\n
Still, the league, which has faced criticism after several past enforcers\u2019 deaths were tied to the repercussions of fighting and blows to the head, is often secretive about how it handles concussions.<\/p>\n
One sign of progress is the league\u2019s use of concussion spotters, who have the authority to pull a player from the game if they are determined to have exhibited signs of a head injury.<\/p>\n
Such was the case last Tuesday when Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen was pulled from the game against the Capitals with just over five minutes remaining in the game following a collision with teammate Jordan Staal.<\/p>\n
Andersen was slow to get up from the ice, though he said it was because he felt a twinge in his back after being \u201ctwisted the wrong way\u201d after colliding with the rare player who is as big as his own 6-foot-4, 229-pound frame.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just more about the other part of my body, not even the concussion part,\u201d Andersen said. \u201cI just got up quick. I knew Doug (Bennett, the Hurricanes\u2019 head trainer) was right there. I just kind of wanted to skate away and get over and do my thing, get some water like I usually do in the TV timeout.\u201d<\/p>\n
But as Andersen stretched in his crease preparing to continue play with Carolina trailing 3-1, one of the linesmen came over to tell Andersen he had been flagged by the league\u2019s concussion spotter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very surprised because, if anything, I think the one collision in the first would be the one that should have warranted some sort of a review or something,\u201d Andersen said of Capitals forward Nic Dowd colliding with him earlier in the game. \u201cHe made contact with the head there.\u201d<\/p>\n
After exiting the ice surface, Andersen was taken to the team\u2019s training room in the Lenovo Center, a place where he can take the necessary tests without the full noise and distractions of the arena.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe test can be tough if you\u2019re out there, like with all the different sounds and stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve got to focus up a little bit to kind of get close to your baseline.\u201d<\/p>\n
The baseline is cognitive tests players take before the season that give doctors and trainers a benchmark to compare the player\u2019s test results after the event that led to them being pulled from the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an iPad test,\u201d Andersen said. \u201cThere\u2019s a few different ones. \u2026 memory stuff or balance stuff, recalling numbers and random stuff, words you\u2019ve got to remember. So if you\u2019re not fully there, it could definitely show as a sign that you\u2019re not fully with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Andersen to do the balance tests, he needs to take off his skates \u2014 a bit more of a process for a goalie than a forward or a defenseman. Andersen said the tests are five to 10 minutes, which, on top of the time it takes to take off and put on equipment, can keep a goalie out of the game for a decent chunk of time.<\/p>\n
He said by the time the Hurricanes returned to the locker room following their 4-1 loss, he was done with his test and in the locker room with the team.<\/p>\n
Andersen said he has in the past recognized when something was not right following a collision, like when New Jersey\u2019s Timo Meier made contact with him in Game 4 of last year\u2019s first round playoff series, knocking him from\u00a0the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, they\u2019re trying to protect us and themselves,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re trying to protect both parties.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also admitted that it\u2019s easy for an athlete\u2019s competitive nature to lead them to overlook or ignore warning signs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think when you\u2019re in the moment,\u201d he said, \u201cyou want to keep competing and being out there. \u2026 You may ignore some signs that made you feel, maybe, that you\u2019re not right there, but they take you out in a little bit quieter room, in the training room or something, where you can just go through it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Andersen\u2019s recent situation, he knew he wasn\u2019t going to be a key part in Carolina trying to erase a two-goal deficit in the final minutes of a game, making the concussion spotter\u2019s decision a bit easier to swallow.<\/p>\n
He also said it helps that it\u2019s the team\u2019s trainers and doctors, people who know the players and their usual demeanor, evaluating the results and are better suited to \u201csee if something\u2019s up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day,\u201d Andersen said, \u201cyou\u2019re thankful that you have people that try to look out for you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen lays on the ice after a collision with teammate Jordan Staal during the third…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301682,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-301681","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-nhl","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/301682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}