NHL analyst and former All-Star Jeremy Roenick is blogging for NHL.com this season. In today's blog, Roenick provides his personal opinions about what's proved effective in reducing concussions and preventing further symptoms among NHL players, plus what the League and its players still need to do.

With so many star players now sidelined with concussions or concussion-like symptoms, the topic has to be explored. Here are my thoughts:

What's Clicking?

The game is different today. It's not the same game it was when I started in the late '80s, and it's still not even the same game from the early 2000s. This is a big-business sport where you have extreme physical contact, extreme speed and extremely talented players that are in peak athletic condition.

For those reasons, concussions seem to be more rampant nowadays. We can put the blame on the speed and ferocity of the game, because whether you get hit in the head or you don't, the surge and the way your body is jolted every time you make contact with somebody rattles your brain. That is very important to understand.

Back 20 years ago we didn't think of it that way. We didn't think about hurting ourselves. We thought of it as pain and something we had to play through. Actually a lot of guys thought it was honorable and manly to play through concussions, broken bones and pulled muscles -- but in actuality the damage we did to our bodies could end up being life-altering down the road. That remains to be seen.

But let's take it back to the present. Due to all the research that has been done on concussions and considering what the National Hockey League now knows about concussions and how it plays in part to your brain, this is an issue that must be taken very seriously. Your brain and heart are the most important parts of your body. If they go, there's no sense in going on.

I applaud the NHL for doing all it can to protect the players from injury, not only current injuries but future injuries. And, yes, sometimes the players need to be protected from themselves.

Hockey players are proud people. They want to be looked at as tough, as guys who can play through injuries and do what is best for the team. Doing that at times can be a serious health risk, so I'm glad the NHL has taken such an aggressive stance in making sure that when guys get their bells rung they go to a quiet room, get evaluated and either go back in the game or sit out to rest.

I hope it doesn't go too far to the point that every time players get hit they go down and call for suspensions. I hope the guys are tough enough to play through the injuries they think they can play through and they think they should play through. The concussion issue is front and center now, and with so much attention on it players are fearful for their well-being and teams are fearful for their players.

Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins are the main subjects behind that -- but like the NHL, I applaud the Penguins for how smart they've been in treating Crosby's injury as cautiously as they are. Their approach is what is best for the player, but I worry about Crosby's future in the National Hockey League. The fact that he had a setback after a seemingly normal body-contact situation that happened in a game arguably sets off more alarms than the 10 months he sat out.

The Penguins and Crosby will have to evaluate how bad this is and whether his body is capable and built to withstand the contact that professional hockey demands night in and night out. I'm concerned because I really enjoy watching Crosby play, and I would like to see him play for the next 15 years and dazzle us.

What's missing?

We can no longer ignore the stupidity of the hits that are still happening today despite the fact that the players know the concussion aspect is such a big part of the game and sports in general.

You saw Chris Stewart get suspended for hitting Niklas Kronwall from behind. You saw Andy Sutton get suspended for jumping in the air -- a 6-foot-6 and 240-pound defenseman jumping in the air -- to hit Alexei Ponikarovsky. These hits are absolutely unnecessary and the stupidity is beyond belief.

Brendan Shanahan probably never thought he would be so busy doling out suspensions because of the lack of intelligence of so many players in very dangerous situations.

NHL players have to understand that it is a different game, a more powerful game in a different era, and the respect of the players' well-being has to come into play at every area of the ice.

There are too many hits from behind near the boards. There are too many elbows to the head. There are too many blindside hits.

It's one thing to hit strong and hard, but it's another thing to throw elbows, have knee-on-knee hits, hits from behind, cross checks on defensemen who are four feet from the boards.

I'd like to know when is the respect factor is going to come back into the game.

Let me also be clear -- I wasn't the fairest hitter. I left my feet. I hit guys from behind. I had my fair share of dirty hits and cheap hits. I hit to inflict pain at times, without question. I needed that intimidation factor because of my size.

Shame on me, but it was a totally different mentality when I played the game. This game today is much faster, much stronger and more scrutinized because it is bigger business. These players are worth much more than they were when I started, and they better start adapting to the new era of the National Hockey League by respecting each other.

Both Ottawa and Carolina could be struggling for offense this week after both teams announced that one of their top performers had been diagnosed with a concussion.

The Hurricanes confirmed Wednesday that 2011 Calder Trophy-winner Jeff Skinner, who has missed the past two games after taking a hard hit from Edmonton defenseman Andy Sutton last week, has a concussion with no timetable set for his return. Skinner's loss is a particularly large blow for Carolina, as the second-year forward has continued to perform in his sophomore season, leading the team with 12 goals and 12 assists in 30 games.

"We just follow whatever the doctor tells us," Hurricanes General Manager Jim Rutherford said Wednesday. "You can't project when a player would return."

If any GM can empathize with Rutherford Wednesday, it's Ottawa's Bryan Murray. The Senators announced Milan Michalek, whose 19 goals are the most in the NHL, is suffering from a concussion after an accidental collision with teammate Erik Karlsson during Tuesday night's game in Buffalo.

Michalek is considered day-to-day.

"Right now we have to follow the concussion protocol, so he's day-to-day," Senators coach Paul MacLean said. "It's based on as long as he's symptom-free, he can participate. He felt way better today, so we'll see how it goes."

Michalek and Skinner are the latest high-profile players to have been diagnosed with concussions, such as Philadelphia's Claude Giroux and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby. Philadelphia's Chris Pronger has been diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms. Michalek is currently on pace to shatter his career high of 26 goals in 2006-07, while Skinner, whose teammate Joni Pitkanen has also been diagnosed with a concussion, had been on pace to beat the 63 points he tallied in his rookie campaign last season.

A difficult season for the Carolina Hurricanes is becoming more problematic.

Forward Jeff Skinner, the Hurricanes' leading scorer, and defenseman Joni Pitkanen have been diagnosed with concussions and will be out of the lineup indefinitely.

Skinner took a big hit last Wednesday from Edmonton defenseman Andy Sutton and has missed the past two games. Pitkanen had been injured one night earlier in Calgary, leaving the game in the second period.

"We sent Pitkanen back home off the road trip, and he went to the doctor a few days ago," Carolina General Manager Jim Rutherford said Wednesday. "In Jeff Skinner's case, he saw the doctor today. We didn't know for sure until he was diagnosed with one."

The news couldn't be much worse for Carolina. The team is 15th in the East and just 1-5-1 since Kirk Muller replaced Paul Maurice as coach Nov. 28.



Skinner, the 2011 Calder Trophy winner, has been one of the bright spots for Carolina, with 12 goals and 12 assists in 30 games. Pitkanen leads the Hurricanes' defensive corps in scoring with 12 points in 21 games. He also leads the team in average ice time per game at 22:35.

Rutherford said there is no timetable for the return of either player.

"We just follow whatever the doctor tells us," he said. "You can't project when a player would return."

The chance of trading for players to offset the injuries looks bleak. Rutherford already had been pursuing trades prior to the latest injuries.

"There aren't any forwards out there on the trade market that could come in here and make a difference in our team," Rutherford said. "I know first-hand because I've been on the phone for three weeks, not only looking with a potential injury, but because we're a team that's potentially short a couple forwards to be one of the good teams.

"We just have to work together as a team and work our way out of the situation we're in and deal with the present."

The team already has addressed Skinner's roster spot by recalling forward Drayson Bowman from the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League. Bowman, who played Tuesday in Toronto, has 3 points in 35 NHL games spread across the last three seasons.

"We've got guys in the system we've been developing," Rutherford said. "We've talked about bringing younger players in, and that's where we will look to."

With no timetable for the return of Skinner or Pitkanen, Rutherford plans to be patient. He acknowledged that the two players could potentially be out of the lineup for a long stretch.

"Could be -- and if it is, it is," he said. "This is a real serious thing to deal with."

The Hurricanes also are shorthanded by the loss of defenseman Jay Harrison, who has missed the last nine games with an upper-body injury. Backup goaltender Brian Boucher has been out the past four games with a lower-body injury.

The Hurricanes next play Thursday, when they host Vancouver.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Ducks will be without center Saku Koivu (lower body) for a second straight game, according to coach Bruce Boudreau. However, captain Ryan Getzlaf, who missed Tuesday's practice with flu, skated this morning and will play tonight.

Here's what the lineups likely will look like when the Ducks and Coyotes meet tonight at Honda Center.

COYOTES
Raffi Torres - Daymond Langkow - Shane Doan
Ray Whitney - Martin Hanzal - Radim Vrbata
Taylor Pyatt - Boyd Gordon - Lauri Korpikoski
Mikkel Boedker - Kyle Turris - Kyle Chipchura

Keith Yandle - Derek Morris
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Adrian Aucoin
Michal Rozsival - David Schlemko

Mike Smith will start in goal, with Jason LaBarbera the backup.

DUCKS
Niklas Hagman - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Andrew Cogliano - Bobby Ryan - Teemu Selanne
Andrew Gordon - Maxime Macenauer - Kyle Palmieri
Matt Beleskey - Rod Pelley - George Parros

Cam Fowler - Francois Beauchemin
Lubomir Visnovsky - Toni Lydman
Luca Sbisa - Sheldon Brookbank

Jonas Hiller will start in goal, with Dan Ellis the backup.

It's expected Lubomir Visnovsky will play for the Ducks for the first time since Nov. 11, when he broke a finger.

For more on tonight's game, check out the preview here.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Lubomir Visnovsky is expected to return to the lineup for the Anaheim Ducks tonight.

Coach Bruce Boudreau said Visnovsky will be a game-time decision, but Visnovsky has pronounced himself fit to play.

"I told (Boudreau) I'm ready," Visnovsky said after the morning skate.

Visnovsky suffered a broken finger when he blocked a shot in the final seconds to help seal a win against Vancouver on Nov. 11.

Visnovsky, who led all NHL defensemen in scoring last season, had a poor start before injury, but the Ducks miss his offensive skills, particularly on the power play.

Defense partner Cam Fowler has admitted to struggling while trying to make up for Visnovsky's role as the team's primary puck-mover and minutes-eater.

Visnovsky averages 23:36 of ice time per game, and Boudreau doesn't believe in easing him back in to the lineup.

"If he's ready to play, I anticipate him to be as a good as he can," Boudreau said. "I don't believe in guys giving an excuse already-made that 'I haven't played in a while and it's going to take time.' If you're ready to play in the National Hockey League, you better be ready to play."

Sometimes our preconceived notions about players and teams can hurt us when it comes to enjoying the game and seeing who the best players and teams truly are. This was something I first learned about as a teenager, working my way into the NHL.

It's about performance vs. perception.

The biggest thing I had to learn once I started skating in the NHL was the gap between performance and perception. By that, what I mean is there are so many unheralded players. I had to get adjusted. The guys who received all the hoopla -- guys like Doug Gilmour, Eric Lindros and Curtis Joseph -- are completely unbelievably great players.

Then there was a guy like Steve Thomas, who was an unbelievable player, excellent player. I thought he was just as dangerous as those other guys, yet no one ever talked about how great he was or mentioned him in the same breath as the other guys.

Why does that happen? The average person that covers the game or a fan won't see how good a player like that is, or if they see it, they won't accept it. Part of that stems from hero worship. Someone will see a guy like Steve Thomas and think, "He can't be as good as these other guys."

When I ran track in high school, the fastest guy always ran the anchor leg. There were no opinions leading to the decision. It wasn't about where someone was from or their pedigree. It was about who was the fastest, and that person ran the anchor leg. That's how it went every time.

But that's not the case in sports. I had to learn to adjust to that.

The extension of that is, when we watch teams play, we let our perceptions influence us. We watch teams that we've already decided aren't good and think, "This team can't be a good team from here. No way the Wild or Panthers can win. Why? Because we're from Toronto or New York and that shouldn't happen." Who cares if the Wild have the best record in the NHL or the Panthers have been leading the Southeast Division for almost three months?

When people judge players or evaluate teams based on what they want them to be rather than what they are, it hurts them and it hurts fans.

All the while, you end up missing some pretty good things just because it's not what you want it to be. You can't appreciate the performance. Forget players and teams. The same thing can happen with cities, too.

Last year's All-Star Game in Raleigh is a great example. People went into it thinking it was going to be a bad time because it wasn't a traditional hockey city. Yet you had so many people who were out in Raleigh saying, "This is unbelievable, they know the game, they know how to party, they did it right." People got blown away. People were pleasantly surprised.

If they came in with an open mind, there wouldn't have been any unwarranted negativity toward going to Raleigh.

About 15 years ago, people were asking, "Who is this Dominik Hasek guy? I don't like his style or how he looks in the net." I'll tell you right now -- he's the best goalie I've ever played against. He's the most dominant goalie of all time in terms of being able to influence a game by himself.  Yet, no one wanted to accept that for a long time.

How does it happen? It's coaches and GMs saying things like, "Well we didn't we earmark him, we earmarked someone else. I can't relate to where he comes from, so that's why I'm not open to accepting that guy has talent. I didn't draft him. A friend from his hometown played with him and recommended him and it wasn't my call." That's why a lot of those guys are like that. They're so resistant. "We got Jack Campbell in the first round. Who's this Richard Bachman guy?" That's not how Joe Nieuwendyk thinks. He's cerebral, open-minded, a Cornell guy. I have lots of respect for him. But oftentimes, that's how people think. It impacts the thought process when judging performance.

It's the same thing with college players, or how people still say Europeans will disappear in the playoffs. Has anyone ever watched Marian Hossa? Nicklas Lidstrom? Johan Franzen?

Size to this day also influences how a player is judged even if he's performing well. Martin St. Louis is begging for ice time as a fourth-liner in Calgary, now he's an NHL MVP and wins the Stanley Cup and now he's playing nationally for Team Canada, for the same guys who said he was too small, his legs were too short, and he played in college.

Same thing with Tim Thomas, who went to Vermont with Martin St. Louis. "I don't like how he makes saves, he doesn't play like that guy, he's from Michigan." I love when people say he's a journeyman. Aren't we all on journeys? Quite often, that's said in a condescending way. But if it's a guy they like, they change the terminology. "Mike Sillinger, he's a guy everybody wants in their room. He's well-respected, he plays hard, a heart-and-soul type guy. Dean McAmmond, Prince Albert Raiders, high-character guy."

But if it's Mark Parrish, he's a vagabond. Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull and Paul Coffey all played for a lot of teams. So did Mark Recchi.

I just don't understand how so many people come in closed-minded when it comes time to judge talent. Far too often that happens when the performance is there. That's why they say perception is reality.

The Buffalo Sabres already are banged up and they got even more bad news today, as coach Lindy Ruff said center Ville Leino will miss "weeks" with a lower-body injury suffered in Tuesday's game against Ottawa.

Leino played 14:49 against the Senators, but just one shift, totaling 56 seconds, in the final 9:25 of the game.

Matt Ellis skated in Leino's place today at practice.

The Sabres already are missing forwards Brad Boyes, Nathan Gerbe, Jochen Hecht, Patrick Kaleta and Corey Tropp.

The only good news is defenseman Tyler Myers, who hasn't played since Nov. 19 due to a broken wrist, told reporters he hopes to return sometime around the holiday break.

Carolina forward Jeff Skinner has been diagnosed with a concussion and is out indefinitely, Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford announced in a statement Wednesday. Rutherford also updated the status of defenseman Joni Pitkanen, who also suffered a concussion and is out indefinitely.
 
Skinner, 19, currently leads the Hurricanes in goals (12) and points (24). He has missed the team's last two games, marking the first games he has missed in his NHL career.

Pitkanen, 28, leads all Hurricanes defensemen in assists (9) and points (12), and is tied for first among Carolina blueliners with 3 goals. He has missed the team's last three games.

Capitals GM George McPhee said Wednesday that injured defenseman Mike Green would join the team in Colorado for Saturday's game, but there is no timetable for his return to the lineup. McPhee also added that Green, who has been sidelined since Nov. 11 with a groin injury, will not need surgery.

"No, they ruled that out," McPhee said, according to CSNWashington.com. "It's not worse than we already knew and he has been making progress. We're just trying to expedite things. We'll know more based on the treatments he's getting."

The Capitals on Monday said Green left the team to see a specialist. While it was assumed he was going to see someone about his groin injury, according to CSNWashington.com, McPhee said that is "not necessarily" the case.

Green has missed the past 15 games and has not been on the ice since Dec. 8, when he left the practice rink slamming his stick. McPhee said his Green's recovery "plateaued," which led the team to seek a new method of rehab, according to the Washington Post.

"We just sent him to see somebody that might be able to help, we're not sure (if it will)," McPhee said, according to the Post. "Hopefully when he joins the club on the road he'll be skating with the club -- getting closer. He was progressing then sort of plateaued. We thought we would try something else. Don't know if it will make a difference but we'll know more in a couple of days."

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Ray Emery his starter on Tuesday afternoon. It'll be Emery's fifth straight game and his fourth start in the last five. Emery was the goalie of record in Chicago's 3-2 overtime win Sunday against San Jose, stopping 35 shots and improving his record this season to 6-1-2.

"He's played well all year," said coach Joel Quenneville. "He's earned the opportunity to keep on going. He's got the confidence, he's been productive and we want to keep it going as long as we can."

He made 42 saves in a 5-3 win against Minnesota as a member of the Ottawa Senators in November 2006 -- his lone career start against the Wild.

Here's how the rest of the Blackhawks -- and the Wild -- likely will look when they hit the ice here at the Xcel Energy Center (7:30 p.m. ET, Versus).