NHL concussion work group doesn't include a neurologist

The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore published a deep dive Wednesday about a group of more than 100 former NHLers suing the league over concussions while remaining loyal to the game of hockey. It's an interesting read with a few notable nuggets:

• Boston University's Dr. Robert Cantu says there isn't enough evidence yet to determine whether the average hockey player will leave the game with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) due to repeated head trauma. The brains of enforcers have been studied, but not enough brains, in general, have been looked at.
• The NHL created a concussion work group in 1997 and almost 20 years later, a neurologist isn't on the panel, according to Dr. Frank Conidi, the Florida Panthers' team neurologist.
• Conidi said the NHL is far behind the NFL with respect to concussion awareness.
• "That's because they haven't had the legal action going on to the point where the NFL has," Conidi said. "The biggest issue is lack of input by neurologists. It's not mandatory. The NFL requires a player to be diagnosed by a neurologist before they go back. (Neurologists) just do a better job with our examinations, because it's our specialty."

Read the full piece from The Washington Post here.