Players are worried the NHL isn't clamping down hard enough on blows to the head.
So says Florida Panthers captain Willie Mitchell, whose career is on hold after suffering his seventh concussion earlier this season.
"There's a concern with players. Guys are worried about it. Guys talk about it - the league isn't doing enough to protect the players," Mitchell told Arash Madani of Sportsnet.
"A couple of years back, a 20-game suspension was a message. You'd be missing games, you get a big chunk of money taken from your pocket - a quarter of your (annual) salary gone. Those suspensions had gotten the game safer - still physical, still fast. Shanny (Brendan Shanahan, former Department of Player Safety head) did a great job. But it's not like that now."
Mitchell's comments followed the league's decision to suspend Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith six games after he swung his stick at an opponent's face. The apparent "star treatment" doesn't seem to be sitting well with some players.
"Players are worried and guys talk about it here in the dressing room, but don't say much (publicly) because they think they're going to get fined," Mitchell said. "But I can tell you: players are worried about it.
"I'd like to think I'm a rational guy. I'm not an F-U guy. I'm not criticizing the league as a whole. If my game slips, a coach will come tell me, it's slipping. Well, on trying to protect us, the league is slipping."
It remains up in the air whether Mitchell will be able to rejoin the Panthers for the playoffs. He's cleared to play, but there's great concern over what could happen if he suffers another head injury.
Whether or not he's able to make an impact on the ice, he's intent on speaking out and ensuring others don't meet the same fate.
"I want to make sure this guy and that guy doesn't have to go through this," he said. "Even if I'm not playing, I can show leadership within the situation. I'm talking to the kids about it. I want them to be thoughtful and educated, and God forbid they're in the same situation as me."
Mitchell, 38, has appeared in 46 games for the first-place Panthers this season, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
