Former NHLer Malcolm Davis speaks out about history of undiagnosed concussions

Malcolm Davis lived the dream of many Canadian kids, working his way up to the NHL as an undrafted player and appearing in 100 career games.

But Davis's dream became more like a nightmare when his NHL career was cut short and his life forever altered by a series of concussions that went ignored by the league he worked so hard to reach. The former Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres forward is one of the many former players suing the NHL over its treatment of head injuries.

Davis spoke out about his experience in an editorial for the National Post on Thursday, taking the league to account for what he described as a "callous attitude toward head hits and concussions."

He described his first concussion, which occurred a few games into his first NHL season. He saw stars and could hear a faint humming after his head slammed into the glass during a hit.

I headed to the bench. Despite my concerns, a doctor never looked at me, and I was sent back in to play the rest of the game. I had no idea those few minutes on the bench would cost me a seat on the roster. Afterward, the coaches took me aside and said I “couldn’t take a hit.” Instead of being sent to a doctor or the hospital for a serious head injury, I was simply sent down to the minors.

Davis insisted that stories like his were common when he played. He was one of many players called up for a few games before suffering a head hit and getting reassigned. While injuries to muscles and bones were treated with the utmost of care, head injuries went undiagnosed - treated with hockey platitudes like "keep your head up."

The several concussions and dozens of sub-concussive hits Davis absorbed during his NHL career have left him with a laundry list of neurological issues that make his life a constant struggle.

My right arm goes numb if I sit still for too long, in addition to other neck and nerve problems. I experience anxiety attacks, dizzy spells and insomnia. For a long time after I retired, I would get nervous and jumpy in crowds. I can’t read for more than 10 minutes without getting a headache, and mood swings and impulsivity have affected my relationships with family members.

Davis wrote that he hopes those issues will not degenerate into more severe neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's or CTE. He accused the NHL of exploiting the passion of hockey players and failing to properly inform them of the long-term effects of head injuries.

"The league never cared about our health when we played years ago, and they still don’t care about us now that we’re retired," Davis wrote. "Doctors warned us that we might feel pain from our knees or ankles, but no one ever said we could lose our memory, or worse."